How to Cure a Cold
by Whats My Dere
Summary: Sequel to "In Search of Maple" Alfred and Matthew both have a bad cold. Will the arrival of Arthur and Francis make things better or so much worse? AmeCan and F.A.C.E. Rated T For Tony
1. Step 1 - Acceptance

**WMD: This is the sequel for my story "In Search of Maple"**

**This one will probably be more Comfort/Hurt then Humor but I'll still try to keep it as light as possible. It's also likely that it will be considerably longer then the first story, since it's suppose to last a week not just a day. **

**AmeCan/F.A.C.E.**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**I own nothing but the story~**

**Warnings for - Grumpy Canadians, Patient Escape, and Wonderful Soapy Nudity!**

xXx

**How to Cure a Cold**

**Step 1 - Acceptance**

A low rumble, sounded from a ways off, signaling an approaching storm, however that is not what had awoken Matthew. Every few minutes, the bed would shake, due to Alfred's sudden coughing fits. He had started around five in the morning, and it had only gotten worse. Matthew looked over at the digital clock on Alfred's nightstand. It was 7:00am. The Canadian groaned, he himself had a slight cough and he was sure he had a fever again. _'It sure would have been nice to get a few more hours…' _He thought to himself as he pulled his sore body out of bed. Maybe he over did it yesterday with all that cleaning he had done.

After putting his glasses on, Matthew walked around to the other side of the bed and stared down at his brother. The American was asleep again, but he was sweating and his cheeks were rosy. Matthew sighed, but said nothing as he slipped out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Alfred was shocked awake, when something really cold was set upon his forehead. Bleary, azure eyes opened and attempted to focus on the person before him. A soft smile formed on his face. "Hey Mattie…when did you get here?" Alfred asked, as he looked up at his brother. Matthew sighed quietly then cleared his throat. "I've been here since yesterday. Remember?" Alfred gave him a confused look but said nothing. Matthew frowned at his twin. He then picked up a purple bottle from the nightstand and unscrewed the cap. Alfred watched him suspiciously as he poured some purple liquid into the clear plastic cup. "Drink this, Al." Matthew told him, as he held the smelly purple substance to Alfred's lips. The American crinkled his nose and turned away. "No way, bro… That stuff smells gross."

Matthew glared down at his brother, he was not in the mood for his childishness this morning. He already had a bad headache and he felt like he had gotten close to no sleep at all last night. Matthew turned away from Alfred as he tried to cover a bad cough of his own.

Alfred looked up at his brother, concerned. "Mattie, you ok?" Matthew turned back and half heartedly glared at him again. "Look. See this stuff isn't going to kill you." He stated as he held the medicine up to his own lips. He suppressed a cringe, then swallowed the thick liquid in one gulp. "There, it doesn't even taste that bad." Matthew lied as he refilled the cap and held it up to his brother's lips again.

Alfred bit his bottom lip and looked at the purple medicine, then back up to his brother. The look on the Canadian's face, left no room for argument. He sighed in defeat, then looked back down to the medicine and opened his mouth slowly. It tasted absolutely awful! The liquid was hard to swallow and burned his throat on the way down. He instantly felt like he was going to throw it back up, when a hand clamped onto his mouth. "Don't you dare!" Matthew hissed.

After a moment, he removed his hand and Alfred glared up at him. "You lied." He accused, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Matthew shrugged. "It's medicine, it's not suppose to taste good." Alfred frowned at his brother. "I don't even _need_ medicine, I'm fine." Matthew groaned, he had heard this so many times. "Just stay in bed and keep that icepack on your head."

That said, the Canadian looked over to his polar bear companion. Kumajiro was sitting at the end of the bed and chewing on a strawberry twizzler. Matthew wrinkled his nose at the filthy bear. "Mr. Kumakichi, you really need a bath." Kumajiro snapped his furry head up and stared at the teen. He then, hopped off the bed and attempted to make a quick getaway. The bear felt hands grab him gently under his arms and he was lifted into the air. "Oh no you don't." Matthew said as he carried his small polar bear out of the room. "It's bath time~"

"Good luck, little buddy." Alfred whispered, as he watched them go. The American waited a few more minutes, till he thought the coast was clear, then sat up from the bed and tossed the icepack onto the nightstand, carelessly. The teen slid out of the bed and stretched his aching muscles. He was really sore all over. Must have been all of the exercise he had gotten yesterday. After stretching, he turned and picked up his glasses and slipped them on.

Alfred found his remaining clothes hanging in his closet. They had been washed. The teen grinned and took a fresh T-shirt off the hanger. "Sweet! No more pickles." He quietly cheered to himself after smelling the shirt.

Now fully dressed, Alfred crept out of his bedroom and silently ninja hugged the hallway wall as he made his way to the kitchen. He sighed in relief when he found no Matthew. The Canadian was in one of his moods again. He always got this way when he didn't get enough sleep. Alfred smirked to himself as he gathered up his wallet and iPhone. After quickly leaving a note on the counter, he exited the kitchen. _'I'll be back a little later, maybe Mattie will be in a better mood then.'_ Alfred decided as he stealthily made his way out the front door. _'No more medicine for this hero~'_

The American discovered that the engine to his trusty motorcycle was dead, when he tried to start it. "No way!" He exclaimed as he got off his bike and checked the engine. Some of the key components were missing. He groaned and looked over at beige colored house across the street from his. The teen's eyes glared as he spotted movement from the third story window. A small boy peeked at him from behind a telescope. "Billy…" Alfred grumbled as he turned away from the house and put his hands into his pockets, moodily. He then started walking away towards town.

"There, all clean!" Matthew beamed, as he towel dried Kumajiro. The small polar bear glared up at him grumpily, he now looked like a damp fluff ball, however he smelled much better and the brown cola patches were gone, though he still sparkled for some reason. The teen stood back up, brushed himself off and dried his hands. "Now that, that's done, let go check on Alfie again. He must be feeling a bit better from that cold medicine I gave him earlier." Kumajiro huffed and padded out of the bathroom, disinterested.

Matthew quietly walked into the bedroom, so as not to wake up his brother, if he were asleep. The towel he was still holding fell to the floor messily as he stared at the empty bed. "Maybe he went to the bathroom…" Matthew proposed to himself as he walked out of the bedroom and to the second bathroom to check if it was occupied. It wasn't, and the light was even off this time. The teen frowned and walked back into the living room. He spotted a note on the kitchen counter.

Matthew narrowed his eyes as he read the note. **"Going out for a bit. I'll be back later this afternoon. I feel fine!" **"Not this time, Al…" Matthew growled, as he grit his teeth and crumpled the paper in his hand.

Thunder rumbled overhead as Alfred walked happily down the sidewalk. He was humming 'Everybody loves me' to himself as he observed the scenery. The teen had already made a list of things to do today in order to avoid going home. "It's going to be such an awesome day!" The American beamed.

A chill ran down his spine as he was suddenly shot with a feeling of dread. He stopped walking and cautiously turned around. "Alfred! Get your butt back home now!" Matthew actually shouted as he ran down the sidewalk after him. "Oh, hamburgers!" Alfred yelped as he turned on his heels and fled from the angry Canadian as fast as he could. Houses and mailboxes flew by as they ran past them. "Calm down, bro!" Alfred shouted back to Matthew, in a desperate attempt to defuse the situation. "I'm going to tie you to the bed, Al!" Matthew shot back, from right behind him. Alfred cringed and tried to run faster. A moment later and he was sent flying.

Matthew tackled his brother with all he had and sent them both tumbling to the sidewalk in a jumbled heap. They lay there for a few minutes without saying a word, as they breathed heavily. Matthew finally lifted his head from Alfred's chest and looked down at him, still trying to catch his breath. Violet met azure, as Alfred stared back up at him, panting as well.

"You're not going anywhere today, Alfie." Matthew stated, through breaths. Alfred rolled his eyes. "I told you." He breathed. "I feel fine." Matthew sighed. "You have a bad cold, I _know_ you don't feel fine." It was Alfred's turn to sigh. "I've never had a cold in my life, it's probably just the weather." Matthew huffed. "Yes you have had a cold before, we go through this _every_ time!" Alfred looked away with a pout. "I don't know what you're talking about…" Matthew glared down at his twin, then took his hand and put it to the side of Alfred's face and turned it back to face him. "Just because you deny something, doesn't make it go away, Alfie." He said as he glowered down at his brother. Alfred blushed suddenly, as he stared back up at Matthew. Loud thunder boomed overhead, and then, as if on cue, rain showered down onto them. Alfred smirked up at his twin. "Told you it was the weather." Matthew groaned.

When they finally made it back to the house, they were both thoroughly soaked and shivering. Neither teen said a word as they headed off to opposite bathrooms for a nice hot shower.

_'Why is he always so difficult when he has a cold?' _Matthew wondered, as he pulled off his wet shirt. He shivered as the cold air greeted his bare skin. _'He's such a hassle, I should have just let him go.' _He thought as he turned on the shower to let it get warm. "I could have had a nice nap while he was gone." Matthew grumbled softly as he dropped the rest of his clothes to the bathroom floor. He shook his head. _'I would never have been able to get to sleep…' _Matthew sighed as he stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash over him. "Why do I even care?"

Alfred had opted to take a nice long bubble bath to prolong his isolation. _'I almost got away…' _He thought to himself as he sat amongst the bubbles with a pout. He was flushed again but the steam was doing wonders for his congestion. "Should have taken the short cut to town…" He grumbled as he scooped up a handful of bubbles and glared at them. A sudden sneeze caught him off guard, and sent the bubbles flying from his hands. Alfred moaned softly to himself as he put a hand to his aching head. _'Fine, I have a cold. So what?'_ He finally admitted to himself with a sniff. _'But then, so does Matt. He should just take care of himself, instead of worrying about me.' _Alfred yawned deeply and slumped his upper body against the shower wall. "Why does he even care…?"

**~(TS)~**

Matthew had finished with his shower around twenty minutes ago and was now rummaging through Alfred's cabinets, in search of something other then cocoa. To his surprise he finally found a box of Earl Grey shoved to the very back of one of the taller cabinets. The box was still sealed. "This must be my silver lining." He said with a hoarse voice and smiled.

_'Why is Al taking so long?' _Matthew wondered, half way through his cup of tea. "It's been almost an hour." He finished off his tea and set his cup into the sink. The teen then made his way to the hallway bathroom, to investigate.

"Al?" Matthew asked through the door quietly. Getting no reply, he bit his bottom lip and worried. "Alfie, are you mad at me?" He asked a little louder. Still, he received no reply. Matthew hesitated, then grabbed hold of the doorknob. "I'm coming in, alright?" He waited a moment, then opened the door slowly. His worry was instantly replaced with a look of incredulity.

Matthew sighed as he walked over to the bathtub and crouched down, eye level with the sleeping teen. Reaching over he gently poked his brother in the cheek with his finger. "Wake up Alfie~ You shouldn't fall asleep in the bathtub, it's dangerous." He said with a small blush, as he frowned at his twin.

Feeling something poking him in the face, Alfred's consciousness came back into focus and he slowly opened his eyes. When he looked over, he found his brother staring at him, strangely. "Hey Mattie, you feeling ok…?" Alfred mumbled as he observed his brother's flushed appearance. Matthew ignored his question and sighed. "Maybe I should call Arthur, he probably wouldn't mind coming over and giving us a hand." Alfred frowned. "No, don't call him." He whined. "He _always_ tries to make me eat when I don't feel good." Matthew smirked. "So you admit, you're sick then. Eh?" "What? No, I never said I was sick! Really, I feel fi-" Alfred was cut off when his brother reached over and pinched his nose in irritation.

Matthew had left the bathroom without another word. He grabbed his phone from the kitchen counter and searched through his contact list. Right as he dialed Arthur's number, there was a knock on the front door. The teen looked over at the door curiously, as he heard a familiar ringtone from just outside. Keeping his phone to his ear, Matthew walked over and opened the door. Arthur looked up at him in surprise, his phone also to his ear. "Hello, Arthur, it's nice to see you." Matthew greeted politely as he put his phone away and held the door open for the British gentleman to enter. "Quite nice to see you as well, Matthew." Arthur replied. "Dreadful weather today, isn't it?" He continued, as he took off his wet coat and hung it on the coat rack. Matthew nodded. "It's pretty bad, Alfie and I got caught up in it, a little while ago." Arthur frowned. "Why were _either_ of you outside on a day like this?" He questioned, disapprovingly. "How is Alfred? He looked awful last night."

"Seriously, Mattie, don't call anyone… I don't want to be babied." Alfred mumbled as he swayed out from the hallway and into the living room, his hand on the wall for support. Both Matthew and Arthur gaped at him. The American was completely naked, save for a few random patches of soap suds, his vital regions were just barely covered.

"Alfred!" Matthew yelled semi-loudly as he rushed over to his brother, blocking him from view. "Get back in the bathroom, you're being very rude!" Alfred frowned, then looked over Matthew's shoulder and spotted Arthur. "Hey Artie!" He beamed as he failed to read the atmosphere. "Back to the bathroom! Go!" The Canadian hissed as he began pushing his indecent twin back down the hall, and out of sight.

Arthur finally recovered, once his ex-colonies were out of the room. "I thought I taught you better than that, America! That is _not_ the proper way to greet your guests!" He reprimanded loudly, with a deep blush.

**_xXx_**

**WMD: I'm throwing in some One-Sided USUK, because I love stirring that cauldron of trouble!**

**This story is now finished! woohoo... I need a life XD **

**Don't be afraid to give me feedback on the story~ :)**


	2. Step 2 - Learn French!

**Chapter Two! **

-Chapter Two-

**(English) **

**XD**

**I know, slow going since I'm still writing it. **

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Potentially Lethal Cooking, Odd Behavior, and French Invasions!**

xXx

**Step 2 - Learn French!**

Alfred, now fully dressed, sat at the kitchen counter and glowered down at some kind of 'food' that had been set before him by Arthur. Matthew had cleverly retreated to the bedroom for a nap, managing to avoid this situation altogether. Alfred bit his bottom lip as he contemplated on what he could possibly say to get out of this. Perhaps a straight forward attempt?

"Hey Artie, I'm actually not really hungry right now…" The teen stated simply as he pushed the plate away. It was the truth after all. "That's nonsense, you need your energy." The Englishman replied as he pushed the plate of food back in front of the teen. "U-Uhm… I actually just ate." Alfred said as he looked up to Arthur with pleading azure eyes. That one, was a lie. The last thing he actually remembered eating, were the pancakes from yesterday morning. Arthur crossed his arms and looked down at him. "When?" He asked simply. Alfred knew that question was coming. But he wasn't ready! "Uh, um, Just a little while ago." The teen lied and turned his head to the left, averting his eyes from the Brit. "What time?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes. "I dunno, not too long ago." Alfred replied, as he looked down at the spotless tiled floor. Wow, even the spaces between the tiles were clean, how'd that happen? Arthur cleared his throat, pulling Alfred's attention back to subject. "Well then, what did you have?" "Oh, we had pancakes." That was believable, right? He usually had pancakes when Mattie was over. "So you had pancakes for breakfast then?" The smaller man asked as he looked over to the microwave clock. "That's right." The American concluded and looked back up at Arthur, seriously. Arthur frowned, then gestured over to the clock. "It's 11:45, so it's officially lunchtime now, eat up." Alfred's jaw went slack, as he looked over to confirm the time. "W-we had a late breakfast!" He exclaimed in a last ditch effort. "Stop your dawdling and just eat." Arthur ordered. Alfred grit his teeth and looked back down at his plate in apprehension.

Just then, Hero decided to hop onto the counter and investigate. The subject _was_ food after all. Right? Alfred looked at his cat like he was a glimmer of hope. "Alfred, get your cat off the counter. That's very unhygienic." Arthur demanded with a look of detest. Alfred ignored him and watched as his cat came over and sniffed at the food on the plate. "It's all yours, buddy." He offered, as he pushed the plate closer to his Ragamuffin.

Hero fluffed up a tiny bit, though most would not have noticed since he was already so fluffy, and backed away from the food slowly, as if it might attack him. "Hero?" Alfred asked, concerned. The only response he got from his cat, was a low mew, then he hopped off the counter and retreated from the kitchen, altogether.

The American snapped his gaze back to the plate of mystery food with a new found terror. Arthur sighed in frustration. "Just eat it, will you." "No way, dude! I want to live!" Alfred cried as he pushed the food far away from himself. "It won't kill you! I used to feed you this, every time you got sick when you were younger." Arthur shouted angrily as he pushed the food back. Alfred gaped at the plate as memories of horrible stomach aches and sleepless nights, from his colonial days came back to him. He paled. "I'm not a colony anymore! You can't make me eat this!" Arthur glared down at the teen with his piercing emerald eyes.

**~(TS)~**

Matthew awoke from his nap, feeling much better. He wasn't nearly as agitated as he had been earlier this morning, though he still had a slight headache and his stomach hurt for some reason. Refusing to open his eyes just yet, the Canadian yawned and stretched, he then rolled over onto his left side, lazily. After feeling around blindly for a few seconds, he frowned, then slowly opened his eyes. The left side of the bed was empty. He stared at the empty space for a few seconds, still trying to wake up. Finally, Matthew pushed himself into a sitting position. With a sigh of relief, he noticed his clean little polar bear companion was sound asleep at the end of the bed. At least this wasn't a repeat of yesterday.

Matthew yawned again, as he made his way out of the bedroom and down the hall. The kitchen was vacant now. The teen noted however, a plate of …something on the counter. There appeared to be a single bite missing out of one of the blackened biscuit-looking-things. Matthew's stomach turned slightly and he looked away.

The clink of a teacup being set down, drew Matthew's attention to the black couch in the living room. He made his way over, quietly. Arthur was sitting on the couch, a book in his hand and a cup of tea beside him on the small end table. Alfred was stretched out across the couch, sound asleep, his head resting in Arthur's lap. He had a look of discomfort on his face, as if he didn't feel well. Matthew frowned at them, sullenly.

Arthur, now taking notice of the quiet Canadian standing nearby, put his book down calmly. "Are you feeling any better, Matthew? We saved you some food." Matthew cleared his face, then smiled lightly. "I actually do feel a bit better now." He replied politely. "And, thank you. I _might_ have some a bit later." The teen gave a slight nod at the Englishman, then walked back to the kitchen. Arthur gave a small shrug, then lifted his book back up and continued reading.

Matthew looked back over to the couch and frowned again. He unconsciously bit his bottom lip, then dug in his pockets and retrieved his red cell phone. The teen searched through his contact list as he slowly walked away and down the hall. He put the phone to his ear, and flopped onto the messy bed, awaking his sleeping polar bear. Kumajiro, looked up grumpily, then curled up again and tried to go back to sleep.

"Bonjour, Papa." The Canadian greeted pleasantly. "Ah, Mathieu, it's zo nice to 'ere your zweet voice. 'ow are you feeling today?" Francis asked smoothly. "I've felt better." Matthew replied with honesty. "Zat doesn't zound good." Francis sounded slightly worried now. "It's just a small cold." Matthew reassured as he switched hands with his phone and laid back down. "Are you ztill at Amerique's 'ouse?" Francis asked. "Oui, Papa. Al is sick too." Matthew answered. "I avn't left for Europe yet, would you like me to visit?" Matthew pursed his lips slightly and looked up at the ceiling. "Non, that's alright, besides Arthur's over here visiting right now." "Mon dieu! 'as 'e tried to feed you yet?" "Uh, well-" Matthew was cut off. "I'll be right over, mon petit Mathieu don't you worry." With that, the line went dead. A sly smile tugged at Matthew's lips as he snapped the phone shut and held it out in front of him, watching it spin on it's delicate chain.

**~(TS)~**

Arthur was almost half way through his book, when he tired of it and began to stare down at his ex-colony. _'He's still asleep. It's been over an hour now…'_ He set his book over on the end table, then reached down and slowly put his hand on Alfred's forehead. _'You still have a fever?'_ Arthur frowned, then slid his hand over Alfred's flushed cheek. _'I wonder if he's taking any medicine… I should ask Matthew later.'_ Arthur waited a few minutes, watching the American's steady breathing. Once he was sure he was sleeping deeply enough, the blonde man carefully removed the teen's glasses, revealing a clear face. _'Without these silly things, he still looks so young…'_ Arthur thought as he stared down at Alfred, thoughtfully. He let his eyes wander over the American's body, taking everything in. When he finally brought his gaze back to his ex-colonie's face, azure eyes were staring up at him, sleepily. Arthur unwillingly blushed in embarrassment and possibly something else, as he made eye contact with Alfred.

Before Arthur could explain himself, there was a quick knock on the front door, effectively ruining the moment. The Brit glared over at the door in contempt. "Who the bloody hell would be visiting on a dreary day like this?" Not pointing any fingers. "I'll get it." Matthew said, as he appeared from the hallway and rushed over to the door. Arthur eyed the Canadian suspiciously.

The Englishman's assumptions were realized when an all too familiar Frenchman appeared from outside on the doorstep. He was carrying a suitcase in one hand and two grocery bags in the other. "Mon dieu, Papa! You're soaked, I'll go get you a towel." Matthew exclaimed when he took in the sight of Francis' half drowned appearance. "Merci, Mathieu." Francis replied as he set down his bags and took off his dripping coat. "What the hell are you doing here, frog?" Arthur snapped as he glared daggers at the wet Frenchman. "_Another_ visitor?" Alfred groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, tiredly. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" The Englishman asked as he now directed his glare at the weary American. Francis let out one of his trademarks laughs in spite of the two of them.

"Here, Papa." Matthew said as he handed Francis a clean towel. "Merci again Mathieu." He said as he accepted the towel and started drying his hair. "I brought you zome ice cream, I know 'ow you won't want to eat much else, when you're zick." Matthew smiled warmly in response.

"Ice Cream?!" Alfred exclaimed. He then got up and staggered over to the two blurry forms. "Vous etes les bienvenus ici, belle Francais!" The American said happily as he bear hugged Francis, nearly knocking him over. Matthew sighed as he face palmed.

"Honhonhon~ Your brozzaire must be _really_ zick." Francis laughed as he smirked down at Alfred. "Tu as une odeur de fromage…" The teen mumbled with his face pressed into Francis' fancy dress shirt. Matthew held back a laugh as he dug around in one of the grocery bags and uncovered a large tub of vanilla ice cream.

"Matthew, take your brother. He's obviously delirious." Arthur demanded as he walked over to the trio and crossed his arms.

"Alfie~ Look what I have." Matthew teased as he held up the ice cream. Alfred lifted his head, then looked over to his brother and squinted at the blurry form. Arthur sighed. "Look here, you dolt." He said, then took Alfred's chin and turned his face to look at him. Alfred blinked, confused. He then felt his glasses being slid back onto his face. The Englishman came into focus. "Oh, hey Artie! When did you get here?" Alfred asked as he greeted him happily.

Matthew watched as Arthur seethed at his brother, who in turn, looked oblivious. _'Aw, he's not speaking French anymore… It's always funny when that happens.' _He thought to himself with a frown. _'He must really not be feeling well.'_ Matthew smiled softly. _'At least he hasn't gotten stuck on a language we can't understand. Like last time… I think it was Japanese or maybe Korean…' _He thought as he watched the Brit start his rant. _'With French, at least most of us can understand him.' _Matthew's eyes slid over to Arthur and a light smirk appeared on his face.

"Alfie, regardez ici mon frere~" Matthew called over to his brother, getting his attention again. Alfred, glad for the distraction from the heated rant about his forgetfulness, looked over to Matthew and beamed. "Crème Glacee! Je t'aime Mattie~" He cheered as he threw his arms around his brother, lovingly. "Qui a dit je partage?" Matthew replied with a blush. Alfred pulled away slightly. "C'est froid, bro…" He said with a pout. "Je plaisante." Matthew laughed, then took his brother's hand and led them back down the hallway.

"Stop speaking French! I thought I taught you better then that!" Arthur yelled after them haughtily, as they watched the twins depart from the room. He then frowned and crossed his arms in an irritated manner. "Is it just me, or has Matthew been acting rather odd lately?" He asked as he turned to Francis. "Tout ce que tu veux dire?" Francis replied smugly as he grinned down at his frenemy. "I'm going to throttle you!" Arthur raged.

**xXx**

**WMD: Should I make another cover picture? I can't decide~**

**The French! **

**Bonjour! = Hello!**

**Oui = Yes**

**Non = No**

**Mon dieu! = My god!**

**mon petit = my little**

**Merci = Thank you**

**Vous etes les bienvenus ici, belle Francais! = You are welcome here, beautiful Frenchman!**

**Tu as une odeur de fromage. = You smell like cheese.**

**Alfie, regardez ici mon frere~ = Alfie, look here my brother~**

**Creme Glacee! Je t'aime Mattie~ = Ice Cream! I love you Mattie~**

**Qui a dit je partage? = Who said I'm sharing?**

**C'est froid, bro. = That's cold, bro.**

**Je plaisante. = I'm just kidding.**

**Tout ce que tu veux dire? = Whatever do you mean?**

**If I say these words again in my story, please come back and reference this page, because I'm not writing a French dictionary here! XD**

**Also, you don't have to, but I really do appreciate reviews. They give me a bit of ambition when I have writer's block.**


	3. Step 3 - Ice Cream

**Chapitre Trois!**

-Chapter Three-

**(French)**

**Again, if you somehow missed the summary. This is AmeCan~**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**Warnings for - Ice Creamy Goodness, Scary Happy Newsreporters, and Border Parties!**

xXx

**Step 3 - Ice Cream~**

Matthew and Alfred sat on the messy bed, the tub of ice cream between them. They both drooled in anticipation as they stared at it greedily, their spoons at the ready. Alfred reached for the lid, but Matthew swatted his hand away. "Don't rush, Alfie, or it will be gone too soon!" He explained in French. "But Mattie, it's going to melt, we should just eat it already!" Alfred whined back, also in French. Matthew sighed and conceded. "You're probably right…" He said as he reached for the lid and pulled it off, revealing the creamy deliciousness.

Alfred dug into the ice cream with his spoon, a look of pure joy on his face. Matthew smiled and licked the inside of the lid, nothing should be wasted, right? Already on his fifth spoonful, the American looked over to his brother. He had just finished cleaning off the lid. Alfred tried not to laugh when he noticed the ice cream on his twin's nose. "What?" Matthew asked as he frowned at the look that his brother was giving him. Alfred shook his head and smirked. "Hold still, Mattie." He said as he leaned over to the Canadian. Matthew couldn't help the blush that spread across his face at that moment. He felt his brother's warm hand being placed on the side of his face as he leaned in. Without thinking, Matthew closed his eyes. He was startled when he felt Alfred's cool tongue slide over the tip of his nose.

Alfred pulled away and grinned at his brother's blushing face. "You feeling ok, Mattie?" He asked in English. Matthew's eyes snapped open and he stared at his twin, embarrassed. Alfred chuckled as he dug back into the ice cream. Matthew frowned at him and narrowed his eyes. "Not funny, Al!" He retorted, also back into English. Alfred shrugged, as he put another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Matthew huffed and took his own spoon and dug into the ice cream. Instead of eating it, however, he took aim and catapulted the creamy delight, directly at his amused twin. He was struck right above his collarbone. The American dropped his spoon in surprise as a cold chill was sent through his body. "That's cold, Mattie!" He cried. "That's why they call it ice cream, Alfie~" Matthew replied sarcastically as he mimicked his brother's shrug. Alfred's expression turned into a pout. He then reached over and took the Canadian's spoon and copied his actions. Matthew flinched back and held his hands in front of his face. "Don't do it, Al!" He warned. Alfred ignored him and sent a generous amount of vanilla ice cream his way. Matthew felt the ice cold substance make contact right into the palm of his right hand. He frowned as he took his hands away from his face to look at his brother. He was smirking again. It was Matthew's turn to pout now.

Alfred couldn't help himself as he started laughing at the pouting teen before him. He stopped however, when he felt a cold hand being smeared against his left cheek. Matthew sat back with a smug look on his face as he licked his palm. "Aw, how come I'm the only one who's actually getting sticky from this?" Alfred whined. "Because you're being an ass." Matthew replied simply. The American sulked silently, as he watched his brother. The Canadian looked over to him, after he had licked his hand clean and sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry. Don't get like that, Eh?" Alfred didn't reply, he simply pointed at his cheek silently. Matthew rolled his eyes and smirked. "You're such a baby." He said as he sat up on his knees and leaned over to his brother. "Am _not_." Alfred replied, childishly. Matthew chuckled quietly then slid his tongue over his brother's ice creamy cheek.

Alfred unconsciously bit his bottom lip and blushed when Matthew finished with his cheek and trailed down his neck to his collarbone. The Canadian smiled when he felt his brother shiver under his touch. Once the sticky sweetness was gone, Matthew left a small kiss on the clean area then pulled away. He retrieved his spoon from his blushing twin and sat back down quietly.

Francis cleared his throat from the doorway and smirked. Both teens looked to the spying Frenchman and flushed in embarrassment. "I waz wondering if you two would like zome real food after zis, or if you were fine wis your un'ealsy znack." Alfred recovered first. "We're fine, but seriously dude, knock next time." He said with a frown, still blushing. Francis shrugged. "It's not my fault you leave your door wide open for ze 'ole world to zee in." He replied simply as he walked away 'honhonhoning' obnoxiously.

**-(VC)-**

"So, do they want dinner? I know the perfect recipe." Arthur said when Francis reappeared in the kitchen with his signature "French" smirk. "I don't zink zeir 'ungry right now." The Frenchman replied as he stopped at the counter and rifled through his grocery bags. "But zat doesn't mean I shouldn't make zomesing for later." "I made some charcoal biscuits for them earlier, but I don't think they were hungry." Arthur said and nodded over to the plate of food from before. Francis looked over and cringed when he saw them. "Zat iz zuch an archaic recipe. 'avn't your people retired it into dog treats yet?" "That's just rude! I've used that recipe for years. It works wonders for someone with stomach troubles." Arthur defended, bitterly. Francis frowned when he saw a bite missing from one of the biscuits. "Did you ask if zey 'ad stomach troubles before'and?" Arthur frowned and crossed his arms. Francis sighed to himself as he searched for a pan in one of the lower cabinets.

Arthur had returned to the couch again, feeling rather outnumbered for some reason. He occupied himself with the American news channel. _'Why do so many odd things happen in North America?' _He wondered to himself as the stories being reported in, became stranger and stranger. An all too happy newswoman cleared her throat as she started a new story.

"A tornado was reported to have touched down near a small town in the State of Kansas yesterday. Though nobody was injured during the storm, it did cause property damage to some private residences. One woman's house was actually lifted from it's foundations and landed undamaged two miles away in the boughs of a large tree. The woman has deemed the tree to be lucky and has built a ladder. Authorities have tried to reason with the woman, but she has invoked the 4th Amendment of the Constitution." A grumpy looking policeman popped onto the screen. "We've been tryin' to tell her, that we don't want to _search_ her house, we just want to take it outa' the tree. This is a highly unstable situation." The video panned to the right showing the woman pacing on her front porch in the tree, yelling at some tired looking firefighters, below.

Arthur stared at the screen incredulously. "Bloody ridiculous… Don't Americans have anything reasonable to report?" He grumbled as he crossed his legs and laid back against the couch. "Thanks, Sonya. I sure hope they get her down safely." A male news reporter said as he took over for the earlier spunky newswoman.

"Remember the massive "Border Party" that took place last week? Officials say, that they still have yet to locate 14 US Citizens. On the flip side 8 Canadian Citizens have also not been accounted for, and are believed to be somewhere in Montana." The man reported. "That sure was a big party, Bob." The newswoman replied as she evened out her papers. "It sure was, Sonya. Also, in an embarrassing turn of events, a number of teenagers were returned home after the event was broken up, however, due to lack of identification papers, some were actually returned to the _wrong_ country, after giving false information to the Border Patrol." "You would think that they would have a way of preventing these kinds of mix ups." Sonya said with a bright smile. "I'm sure that's what a lot of people are thinking right now." Bob concluded as he made one of those annoying newsperson laughs.

Arthur's eye twitched slightly as he frowned. "Buffoons, the lot of them. Can't they take the news seriously?" Sonya popped back onto the screen with a toothy smile on her face. "If you missed it, we will be replaying our top story right after these messages." Arthur closed his eyes and laid his head back against the comfy black couch. "I can't _wait_…" He mumbled sarcastically. The smell of warm chicken broth wafted into the living room, through the open kitchen. _'Stupid France, he thinks he's such a great cook. My meals are far better then anything he could make. Even Alfred likes my food. He said so himself.' _Arthur sulked as he listened to Francis clinking pots and pans around, doing who knows what.

The Brit's attention was brought back to the TV and he opened his eyes again. "If you missed it. There was a curious case of zoo theft yesterday. A teenager actually broke onto the zoo property without paying and then proceeded to wreak havoc throughout the park grounds, resulting in one stolen polar bear cub." Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes as he listened to the newest story.

"One park employee claimed the teenager actually snatched up a small child and carried him all the way to the other end of the zoo. We interviewed the boy and this is what he had to say." A picture of a familiar blonde child in a sailor suit popped onto the TV screen. "Peter?!" Arthur exclaimed as he sat back into an attentive position and leaned in, his mouth agape. "It was bloody brilliant!" Peter shouted with a large grin on his face. "Language!" Hissed someone with a Finnish accent just off screen. Peter gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry." "Were you at all scared when you were with this person?" The reporter asked as he tried to get the boy's attention back on subject. "What? No way! We got to see all these birds, and zebras and water buffalos, Oh and we totally got a close up of a lion! That was so cool! I saw some otters and then these really scary looking furry beasts with big heads, then some wolves. I think I even saw a snow leopard! Then we finally got to see some Penguins!" Peter finished his long winded statement with a cheer and threw his hands into the air, excitedly. The reporter cleared his throat. "And are you aware that he stole a polar bear?" Peter beamed. "Well of course I am! He _did_ say he was going to after all."

The screen changed back to the newsroom again. "That sure is a happy child." Sonya said with an airy laugh. "We sure are glad that nothing happened to him." She smiled. "We have actual footage of yesterday, that people are sending in, that they took from their phones. Here it is." The TV screen went black for a moment, then a shaky video from someone's phone came on. It was taken from inside the viewing area of the lion enclosure, just behind the glass. "O-M-G, Casey! They're like going to get eaten!" A girl's voice came from the background. The video focused in on an all too familiar teenager with a small child of his back. He was cautiously walking past a pride of lions.

"Bloody hell…" Arthur breathed as video after video of Alfred and Peter came on. "Honhonhon~ Zo zat's what 'e did yesterday." Francis said as he leaned on the back of the couch and watched the TV as well. Arthur jumped slightly then glared at Francis. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He hissed. "Look." The Frenchman said and pointed to the screen. "Izn't zat Mathieu's bear?" Arthur looked back and sure enough Francis was right. Alfred yelled something down to the bear from the glass wall of the Polar Bear enclosure, above the viewing area. "Mon dieu…" Francis breathed as the teenager cannon balled from the high wall and into the icy water. "Why didn't I just leave him home…?" Arthur groaned as he face palmed.

"Police officers were called in to aid the park security staff, however people are now wondering if they may have taken things a bit _too_ far. This next clip may shock you, take a look." Another clip came onto the screen of Alfred climbing the icy wall of the polar bear exhibit. Kumajiro had just climbed onto the ledge, when a cop rushed over to the wall and aimed something at the unsuspecting teen. Arthur stared at the screen horrified as he watched his ex colony fall from the wall, stunned, while Francis put a hand to his mouth.

After a moment, Francis couldn't keep it in any longer and he burst out laughing. Arthur glared daggers at him. "What about this do you find so funny, frog?!" He snapped angrily. "e' just got tazed by 'is own people! Only in Amerique, do zay taze zeir own perzonification!" "He could have gotten hurt badly from that fall!" Arthur hissed incredulously, as he pointed to the screen. "Oh, pleaze, Arthur. Zat boy 'as been srough two world wars, 'is own civil war and a revolution against _you_. I zink 'e can 'andle a little zing like zis. You worry to much, no wonder 'e wanted 'is independence." Arthur for once said nothing as he gave Francis a death glare.

"Security footage shows this person walking into the adjoining theme park with three other people, however, when we confronted them, they appeared to only speak Danish." Sonya reported as she brushed back her amber hair behind her ear. "We interviewed one of the security guards who had actually spoken to the teen before his break-in to the zoo. This is what he had to say." The screen changed and an older man came on. "Yeah, I talked to him before. He helped us out with a similar case. Such a nice kid, never would have suspected him. Why, kids back in my day used to be respectful of the law. Now these rascals are just runnin' wild!" The video cut off abruptly as the old man began to tell his life story. "Officials believe that this young man might be one of the eight lost Canadians from the "Border Party" last week, though this now conflicts with the theory that they are likely to all still be in the State of Montana. If you have any tips on where this individual might be, please call the number on the bottom of the screen."

Arthur sighed and turned off the TV. "Like I said before. Why do so many odd things happen in North America? It's like they're having a big party over here…"

**xXx**

**WMD: Charcoal Biscuits - It's a real thing people. Look it up!**

**I wish News Reports were this funny, maybe then I'd watch them XD**

**Remember to review if you want to tell me your thoughts.**


	4. Step 4 - Medicine

**Capitulo Cuatro**

-Chapter Four-

**(Spanish)**

**Yes... I have nothing better to do then make a silly title cover for my story lol**

**And yes, those are indeed grape leaves, though they hold no significant value to the plot!**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Moody Americans, European Tea Time, and Happy Birthday Memories**

xXx

**Step 4 - Medicine**

Leaving Francis in the kitchen again, Arthur quietly walked down the hallway and peeked into Alfred's room to check on the twins. Arthur raised his large eyebrows when he saw them. Alfred and Matthew were leaning against each other, sound asleep on the messy bed. They were resting their backs against the wooden headboard, an empty tub of ice cream sat between them.

A bright light, flashed from behind Arthur and he turned to face Francis. "Why the hell did you bring a camera with you?" He whispered harshly. "Do I need a reazion?" Francis whispered back with a pervy face. Arthur scowled at him. "Zey must 'ave gotten a zugar low from zat 'orrible znack." Francis said quietly as he put his camera away for later use. "Or _maybe_ they're just sick." The Englishman retorted as if it were the obvious answer. "Do something useful and help me tuck them in. I think there's a spare bed down the hall."

**~(TS)~**

After tossing and turning for a good hour or so, Alfred finally awoke from his feverish sleep. He was in the middle of his bed for some reason and alone. The teen slowly opened his eyes and looked around. There was a dim reading lamp on to the left of him on the nightstand. _'Was that always there…?' _He pondered hazily as he focused in on the person in the chair beside his bed. A blurry image of Arthur greeted him. He was reading a book.

"Arthur…?" Alfred asked quietly. Arthur looked over to him and set his book down. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he reached over to the teen and felt his forehead. "Your fever was gone a few hours ago, …but now your hot again. Have you been taking any medicine?" Alfred sighed and turned his head away. "I'm fine, seriously, stop fussing." He mumbled grumpily. "Where's Mattie?" "Francis tucked him into the guest bed, he's probably still sleeping." Arthur informed tiredly. A purple bottle on the opposite nightstand caught his attention. Alfred frowned to himself and tried to get comfortable again. _'Maybe I should go check on him…' _

After getting up from his chair, Arthur walked over to the other nightstand and picked up the medicine bottle. "Is this what you have been taking?" He asked as he held the bottle up for Alfred to see. Alfred glared at the purple container of grossness and turned his head back the other way. "No…" He lied. Arthur sighed and read the back of the bottle. "You need to take this every 6 hours. When is the last time you took some?" The Brit asked as he walked over to the other side of the bed to face the stubborn teen. Alfred didn't answer, he then buried his head under a pillow in a half assed effort to escape the situation. "I take that, as more then 6 hours ago." Arthur concluded as he untwisted the cap off of the bottle. _'Oh god, I have to get out of here. Maybe Billy will let me sleep in his garage… No that won't work, he still thinks I'm an alien… Perhaps a park bench? I know! Tony! …but I really like this shirt…'_ Alfred's thoughts were interrupted when the pillow was taken away from his head. "Here, take this and stop being so childish." Arthur demanded as he held out a cup filled with the same purplish liquid he had been fooled by this morning. "Nnnhhh…!" Was the teen's only reply, whatever _that_ meant. He quickly turned the other way yet again and curled in on himself, defensively.

"Alfred! Stop being a twat and take your medicine!" Arthur finally snapped in a fit of annoyance. The American ignored him completely and didn't move an inch. _'Be the bed…' _Alfred coached himself in his mind as he squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. _'Be the bed. He'll forget I'm here if I just beee the bed… be the bed.'_

Arthur glared down at his ex colony. The teen had resorted to playing dead. A usual tactic when medicine was involved, though Matthew was always so much better at it. Arthur had, a of couple times, actually forgotten the Canadian was even there and had left the room entirely, before. The Englishman sighed and set down the cup of medicine. _'Only one thing left to do I guess.'_

_'Did it actually work…?' _Alfred wondered as he dared to let out his breath and relax slightly. His assumptions were incorrect as the covers were pulled away from him violently and he was assaulted by tickling fingers to his vulnerable sides.

"Ah! No!" The American yelped through gasps as he squirmed around desperately in his bed trying to evade the relentless Brit. Alfred finally sat up from his bed and backed away till he was out of reach. "Good." Arthur said with a hint of triumph. "Now that you're up, take this and get it over with." He ordered and held the cup of medicine up again and offered it to the teen. Alfred, ever the stubborn patient, bit his bottom lip as he stared at the dubious liquid. Medicine just _wasn't_ his thing. _'Why can't he just let it go?' _He grumbled inside his head. "Here." Arthur said and held the cup out a little further. Alfred unconsciously scooted a little further away, except there was in fact no more bed left. The teen let out a startled cry as he fell backwards off the bed and collided with the hardwood.

Arthur sighed in frustration. "Serves you right for being so stubborn." he grouched. The Brit casually walked over to the other side and the bed and stared down at the teen with one hand on his hip and the medicine still in his other hand. "Stop being difficult…"

_'That's it, I'm leaving.' _Alfred decided as he awkwardly got back to his feet. He then stumbled past Arthur and over to the doorway. "Where are you going?" The Englishman asked, confused. "Nnnnhhhh…" The American replied. What does that even _mean_? "Wait, Alfred. Watch out for the-" Arthur cut himself off and cringed as the teen's head smacked into the doorframe. He must have miscalculated where is was without his glasses. Alfred moaned as he put a hand to his head and the other on the doorframe. He then carefully continued out of the room, now keeping constant contact with the wall for guidance. Arthur followed behind him, perplexed.

Francis looked up from his magazine, a little startled when the door swung open and a grumpy looking American stumbled into the room. He was holding one hand to his forehead and the other out in front of him, blindly, as he made his way to the guest bed. Arthur was trailing behind him, arms crossed.

Francis gave Arthur a questioning look, which the Englishman returned with a silent shrug of the shoulders and a frown. They both watched as the teen pulled the covers back carefully and then scooted into the bed next to his brother. Alfred shot a glare over in their general direction then turned over on his right side, wrapped his arms around Matthew and hid his face moodily.

After shutting the door to the guest bedroom, Arthur and Francis made their way back to the kitchen. "It's rather odd that they still do this, even after so many years." Arthur said as he sat down at the counter. "Iz it really?" Francis replied and pulled out two cups from the cabinet. "Yes it is!" Arthur bit out. "They are way too close, it isn't normal." Francis raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Are you comparing zem to your dyzfunctional relationship wiz your_ own_ brozzairs?" The Frenchman tsked quietly. "I zink we boze know zat zis iz a little different." Arthur scowled. "It's completely unhealthy. That's what it is." He stated. "It's alzo none of our buziness." Francis retorted. He then placed a cup down in front of Arthur. The Brit stared down at it thoughtfully as it was filled with hot water. A box of tea was placed beside him. "Zis waz all 'e 'ad. I believe it's one of your favorites, non?" Francis sat down with his own cup of steeping tea and sat across from Arthur. "I'm surprised he even had any at all." Arthur grouched as he prepared his own cup.

"Zo." Francis asked after a few minutes of silence. "What did you do to make votre petit Amerique zo grumpy?" Arthur glared up at his frenemy's amused face. "I tried to give him some cold medicine!" Arthur seethed. "You know how he gets." "Honhonhon~" Francis laughed as he brought his cup up and took a sip. "Stop laughing! It's not funny." "Just get zee medicine in pill form, zen you can 'ide it in zome cheese." The Frenchman offered with a smirk. "He's not a dog!" Arthur snapped. "…and I've tried that before, he always finds it!" "I can't believe you actually tried zat…" Francis mumbled as he looked away from the Englishman, hiding a smile with his cup.

**~(TS)~**

After a few hours spent doing small chores around the house, the two older countries finally decided to get ready for bed themselves. The only questions was.

"So who gets the bed and who gets the couch? I for one don't want to make an issue out of this." Arthur said as he reentered the kitchen, a wet towel slung over his bare shoulders. He was now wearing a pair of navy blue flannel pajama bottoms and was still slightly damp from his shower.

"Hmm?" Francis asked as he looked up from his book. Arthur frowned at him. The Frenchman was sitting on one of the barstools again reading his magazine. He had a towel wrapped around his head, neatly and had covered himself in a fancy blue bathrobe.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Arthur asked as he pointed to what Francis had on. He wrinkled his nose at it. "Don't tell me you stole that from a hotel." Francis scoffed. "Of course I didn't, zis is my own attire. I like to feel comfortable wherever I am."

"Why am I not surprised…" Arthur muttered as he walked over to the refrigerator. Upon opening it, he was met with a sparse selection, except for the middle shelf, which was crowded with containers of cookies. Arthur quirked an eyebrow and brought one of the clear plastic containers out from the fridge for a better inspection. "Did you bake?" He asked as he popped off the lid. "Non, I zink Mathieu baked zem yesterday." Francis replied, though Arthur had already come to that conclusion himself a second ago, after recognizing the Maple Leaf cookies. "Why did he make so many?" "If I 'ad to guess, I'd zay 'e waz upzet." Francis said as he returned to reading his magazine. "About what exactly? He seemed just fine to me." Arthur asked while putting the lid back on the container and placing it back into the refrigerator. "Notre cher Alfred waz not zee only one who 'ad a bad day yesterday, Arthur." Francis stated as he turned a page calmly. "Mathieu must 'ave called me over fifteen times. 'e waz very worried."

Arthur said nothing as he stared at a picture stuck on the refrigerator by a blue star shaped magnet. The photo was taken at Matthew's house. He was seated at his wooden dinning table, looking skeptically at a large extravagantly decorated blue cake.

"Did we miss Matthew's birthday again this year?" Arthur asked feeling a bit guilty. "Non, I sent 'im a card and zome flowers. Did _you_ miss it?" Francis questioned, though he already knew the answer. Arthur ignored him and looked at the picture below the first. Alfred was in the photo as well this time, and they were both smeared messily with blue frosting. The American had his arm slung over his brother's shoulders with a big grin on his face. He was holding a handful of the destroyed cake up to the now grumpy Canadian's face, a single lit birthday candle was sticking up from the crumpled unhealthy mess.

Arthur looked around for the follow up photo, if there was one. He spotted two more sticking to the other door off to the left. The top one was of Matthew actually blowing the candle out, a blush brightly apparent, while Alfred was smirking obnoxiously at him. The one directly under that picture, however, was of Matthew, with a devious grin, shoving his own handful of blue birthday cake right into the American's unsuspecting face.

"It appears they had a good time." "Oui, Amerique always visits Canada on zee first to celebrate Mathieu's birthday. Zen 'e ztays the night and zay celebrate 'is the very next day." Francis explained as he put his magazine down for the night. "On the 2nd? Why?" Arthur asked suddenly getting rather annoyed. Francis looked over at him and frowned. This was a touchy subject and he didn't want a headache right before bed.

The Frenchman cleared his throat, getting the other man's attention. Arthur glared over at him. "What?" He snapped. "'ow about you take zee bed, Angleterre." The Englishman, being caught off guard, blinked in confusion. "Are you sure?" "Oui." Francis said as he gave Arthur a quick pat on the shoulder and walked past him. Arthur turned around and watched the taller man make his way over to the couch in the living room.

"Fine, but you can't change your mind later!" Arthur warned, then left the kitchen himself, and proceeded down the hallway to Alfred's empty bedroom.

**xXx**

**WMD: Sorry for the slow updates, I've been kinda busy. **

**Next chapter will be out soon!**

**The French!**

**Votre petit = Your little**

**Notre cher = Our dear**


	5. Step 5 - Trust

**Capitolo Cinque~ Veee~**

-Chapter Five-

**(Italian)**

**Some more Sexual Tension for my AmeCan lovers lol**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**Warnings for - Peeping Englishman, Sponge Baths, and Overprotective Brothers**

xXx

**Step 5 - Trust**

Arthur was awoken from his pleasant sleep by a pair of odd ramblings from down the hall. The digital clock on the nightstand informed him that the time was now 5:38 in the morning. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and yawned. The Brit was used to waking up at around six a.m. but with the time difference in America, he had actually overslept by a few hours.

There it was again, those strange noises. Who else but he, would be awake so early. Obviously Arthur now had to investigate the matter.

He kicked off the sheets and clambered out of bed quietly. When he opened the bedroom door, he came to the conclusion that the noises were in fact coming from the guest room the twins were occupying. He wasn't a deviant or anything, he was just worried, the Brit kept telling himself as he crept over to the door and listened.

A blush came onto his face when he heard a soft moan from inside the room. _'Was that Alfred or Matthew?' _Arthur thought as he listened closer. _'What am I saying? Why does that even matter?'_ "Alfie… be quiet, you're going to wake someone up…" Matthew groaned. Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "Let them hear, Mattie… let the world hear!" _'What the bloody hell are they doing in there?' _Arthur wondered suspiciously. There was silence after that, then a rustling of bed sheets, and then more silence.

Arthur was just about to leave when yet another moan caught his attention and he, against his better judgment, held his ground and listened in a bit longer.

"Alfie, stop pushing so hard… I'm going to fall off the bed…" Arthur's blush deepened. "Come _on_ Mattie… just let me back in… I'm-" The rest of Alfred's sentence became muffled and Arthur could not make it out. The Englishman unconsciously leaned into the door as he put his ear against the surface to better hear the potentially risqué conversation from within the room. What he didn't expect, was to find that the door was not quite latched. The wooden slab swung open loudly, banging against the wall, and the Brit fell to the floor with a thud.

"It's a ghost!" Alfred shrieked in alarm. His cry was directly followed by another loud thud from a few feet away. Arthur looked up embarrassed and blushed even redder.

Hasty footsteps were heard approaching from down the hall. "What 'appened? I 'eard a loud noise." Francis asked as he entered the guest room. He stopped and took in the sight before him. Arthur was on the floor looking guilty. Check. Alfred was on the bed, uncovered, curled around a pillow and hiding his face. Check. And Mathieu was on the floor, cocooned inside the large warm comforter, only his ever-present curl sticking out of the top. …Check…

"It's too early for zis…" Francis sighed as he walked over to Arthur and held out his hand to him. Arthur, still slightly embarrassed took his hand with only minimal hesitation and let the Frenchman help him back onto his feet. "Zo, what 'appened?" Francis asked again. "They just woke me up, so I came to check on them. That's all." Arthur answer, deliberately refusing to elaborate. He then made his way over to the teens. Francis followed him quietly, then knelt down beside Matthew.

As the other was occupied with trying to unravel the shivering Canadian, Arthur reached over and put a comforting hand on Alfred's shoulder and shook him gently. The American finally lifted his face from the pillow and looked up at him with wide azure eyes. Arthur looked back at him and sighed.

Francis finally gave up on trying to unwrap the young country on the floor and instead lifted him, blanket and all and deposited him onto the bed beside his brother. "This doesn't look good…" Arthur said as he analyzed both teens. As if to confirm what he was already thinking, Alfred buried his face in his pillow again as he was overcome with a terrible coughing fit. His brother finally poked his head out from the mass of covers and looked over at him with concern. "Al…?" Matthew whispered. He sounded like he was out of breath. The Canadian easily freed himself from the heavy comforter and sat up, shivering. He then looked down at his brother, who was still coughing violently. "Al." Matthew said again as he reached over and shook the American's shoulder, worriedly. Alfred finally ceased his rib crushing cough attack and rolled over onto his back, wheezing. "What…is it, Mattie?" Matthew didn't reply, instead he simply bit his bottom lip and continued to stare.

Arthur hurried back into the guest room holding that wretched bottle of cold medicine and some wet wash cloths. The two teen's hadn't even seen him leave in the first place, so his return was startling to say the least. Also, where did Francis go?

"This has gone on long enough Alfred." Arthur bit out as he walked back over to the bed. He was not really angry. No, just the opposite. But he wanted this matter to be taken seriously this time. "I want you both to take this. Right now." He said as he unscrewed the cap.

Matthew nodded and took his without any trouble. But, as expected Alfred still refused. "How have you survived so long with this maddening brand of idiocy!" Arthur raged down at the American, who simply turned his head and tried to ignore him. Matthew frowned slightly. He then took the cup of purple liquid from the Englishman.

"Alfie." The American looked up at his brother as if on command. Azure eyes met violet eyes and they stared at each other for a long moment. Arthur looked back and forth between them, skeptically. _'What? Are they having a telepathic conversation? This is wasting_ _time!' _Arthur frowned. _'Maybe I really should get some cold pills… I could try hiding them in a cookie this time. But if he's this sick, he might not even want a cookie. What to do…'_

Alfred finally let out a sigh of defeat, then weakly sat up on his elbows. Matthew said nothing as he handed the cup to his brother, who took it willingly. He made a face of disgust right before downing the thick liquid in one swallow. The Canadian gave him a relieved smile and handed the empty cup back to Arthur who was staring incredulously at them both. "What did you do?" The Brit asked. He was genuinely curious. This had obviously been an epic feat of negotiation and he was not quite sure when it had happened. Matthew only shrugged before laying back down beside Alfred. He reached over and dragged the heavy comforter over them both in an attempt to reclaim the warmth he had lost a little while ago. "Now… you're going to share?" Alfred asked sarcastically and curled into the blanket as well this time.

Arthur, although still confused, had accepted this to be a step in the right direction. His attention was redirected to Francis, as the Frenchman finally came back into the room. He was carrying a large bowl of water, which he set down on the closest nightstand. "I wouldn't get too comfortable, lads. We still need to lower that fever." Arthur informed, as the two older countries regrouped to leer down at their ex-colonies. "Which one should we ztart wis?" Francis asked. "Let's start with the troublemaker first. It'll be easier if we double team him." Arthur replied as he stretched slightly in preparation. "Oui, my soughts exactly." Francis agreed. "What the crap are you dudes talking about?" Came a muffled voice from under the covers. "Go away…" Another voice followed, sleepily.

It took awhile, but after much struggling and yelling, the European countries had come out the victors of the Great Battle of the Comforter. The follow up physical dispute of the clothes was met with firm opposition by the younger North American countries.

"That's it!" Alfred snapped. "I'm declaring war on you two when this is over." The American ranted after his damp shirt was removed causing him to shiver harshly. Francis, who had resumed holding the teen's arms over his head, grinned down at him. "What a zthreat you are. Maybe we should just zmother you wis a pillow right now and be done wis it?" "Papa!" Matthew exclaimed, disapprovingly. "Not cool, dude..." Alfred said as he stared up at the Frenchman, shocked. The teen then hissed as something came in contact with his bare chest. "That's cold! Get it off!" He cried out instantly and tried to squirm away from whatever it was. "It's only lukewarm, stop moving around." Arthur said and continued to wipe a wet cloth over the American's sensitive skin.

Matthew, who was now sitting up on the bed again, stared down at his brother with great interest. "You know, I could have just taken a _real_ bath, instead of this abuse." Alfred whined as he tried to pull his arms away from Francis, in doing so caused his abs to tighten. "Honhohon~ I don't sink zo, we ztill remember what 'appened last time." Francis replied. "Alfred! Hold still." Arthur demanded, a small blush now blossoming on his cheeks. Alfred groaned in frustration but stopped struggling. He hated feeling weak. Matthew watched as Arthur rewet the cloth and then started on Alfred's stomach. _'Why do people keep saying Al's chubby?'_ He wondered while slowly chewing on his bottom lip. _'Why doesn't he ever bother to prove them wrong…?'_

"Seriously guys, I'm getting cold." Alfred complained as his teeth began to chatter. Arthur put the cloth back in the water and looked up to Francis, completely ignoring the American. "Help me flip him over." Francis nodded. "What? No!" Alfred yelped.

Matthew held back a smile as his brother was flopped over onto his stomach. _'Alfie is such a big baby when he's sick.'_ A smirk slipped past his defenses as Arthur slapped the wet cloth onto Alfred's unprepared back, making him shriek. The American then wrapped his arms around a pillow and buried his face from the world. _'But he's so adorable…'_ Matthew blushed but kept his eyes on his twin's smooth back.

Alfred moaned and squeezed his pillow tighter as a cold chill ran through him. His complaint was muffled, but it still sounded rather whiney. Francis, who had been watching his ex-colony the whole time, smirked deviously. The Canadian was blushing now. He had been staring at his brother intently, while displaying his unconscious habit of biting his lower lip. _''e iz zo obvious, its tragic.'_ Francis mused. "Mathieu." Matthew looked up to the Frenchman in response. "Votre Francais se montre~" Francis teased. The Canadian turned beet red and looked away in embarrassment. Arthur quirked an enormous eyebrow at them but didn't ask. "Alright Alfred, I think we're done with you for now." Arthur said as he patted the American on the back to get his attention. Alfred dragged himself into a sitting position and shivered as he glared at the two Europeans.

"Your turn, Matthew." Arthur stated as he walked over to the other side of the bed. "Why are you so flushed?" He asked when he took in the sight of the other teen. Matthew just looked at him, finding he was at a loss for words at the moment. Arthur frowned and put his hand to the Canadian's forehead. "You feel about the same, actually." He confirmed.

Francis had returned to the room after refreshing the bowl of water. He then walked over to Arthur and Matthew, and set the bowl down on the other nightstand. "So, do you want to do this sitting up or laying down?" Arthur asked as he wet a cloth in the fresh lukewarm water. Matthew sighed as he took his damp shirt off and remained sitting. "You know, I could really just take a bath myself. I won't escape through the window like Al…" He argued softly. "We believe you, mon cher. But we are already zet up for zis at zee moment." Francis explained. "Indeed, so let's just get this over with, so we can attend to other matters." With that said, Arthur applied the wet cloth to Matthew's bare shoulder, hastily. The Canadian gasped from the unexpected coldness and leaned away immediately. "Why's it so cold?!" He whisper-shouted as shivers were sent through his body. Arthur sighed in frustration. "It only feels cold because you have a fever. Now stop moving around, I thought you were better then this." The Englishman scolded.

"Why don't you just use warmer water." Alfred pouted. He had brought the pillow to his chest and was now hugging it as he sat crossed legged on the bed and watched. "That would have defeated the purpose, you git." Arthur replied with a tired sigh. He continued to wipe down Matthew's arms with the cloth making the Canadian shiver even more.

When he finished with them, Arthur rewet the cloth and started on the teen's chest. That earned him a sudden squeak from Matthew as the boy instantly tried to cover himself for protection from the cold and offensive cloth. Arthur, who was already fed up with the childishness of the younger countries, slapped his hands away, impatiently. "Stop causing a fuss, it's not that bad." The Brit said as he reapplied the cloth to the Canadian's chest.

"Come on Artie, can't you see he's cold? Lay off!" Alfred snapped. Arthur glared over at the American. "Once you have gone through an actual plague, then I _might_ listen to your words of wisdom on this matter." He looked back to Matthew and continued. "Until then, shut it and just trust that I know what I am doing." Alfred frowned at the Englishman but stayed quiet this time as he continued to keep an eye on the situation from behind his pillow.

The Canadian was visibly shaking now, as the cloth was wiped over his back and sides. _'How is this helping, exactly?'_ Alfred thought to himself, moodily. Matthew was suddenly caught off guard by an unexpected sneeze. He then wrapped his arms around himself again as his teeth began to chatter. Alfred narrowed his eyes. "Arthur." The American said, once again failing to hold his tongue. "That's enough. You're gonna turn Mattie into a popsicle." He then reached over and stilled the Englishman's hand. Arthur sighed at this but relented as he put the cloth back into the bowl and stood up. "That's fine, I think I was about done anyways."

"So, can you guys leave us alone now?" Alfred grouched as he wrapped his arms around his twin and pulled him over with care. "Alfie, they're just trying to help us." Matthew said softly as he felt his back press against his brother's chest. "I know…" Alfred replied as he glowered over Matthew's shoulder. Arthur rolled his eyes as he watched them, then jumped as an unexpected French voice came from behind. "Oui, we'll leave you two alone, right after you drink zome water." Francis said as he reentered the room, holding two glasses of water. Walking over to the bed, he held them out to the two teens, expectantly. "Why?" Alfred asked. He swallowed when he saw the water and noticed how scratchy and sore his throat was. "You are dehydrated, you both need to drink something." Arthur explained and crossed his arms while standing at the doorway now.

Matthew silently reached over and accepted the glass of water and began drinking. A moment later Alfred sighed, then he himself took the other glass and mimicked his brother. Once the water was gone, Francis took the glasses back from the twins. "We'll be back in a few hours wiz zome food. Zo get zome zleep, oui?"

After the door was finally closed again, Alfred let out another sigh. Matthew leaned over and retrieved the covers from the foot of the bed. He slid the comforter over them and then laid back down, bringing Alfred with him. Without anymore words, they snuggled underneath the blanket and drifted off into a much more relaxed sleep.

**xXx**

**WMD: Here's a question for you. What's worse Overprotectiveness or Possessiveness?**

**The story is going to be taking a more serious tone in the next couple of chapters. **

**The French!**

**Votre Francaise se montre~ = Your French is showing~**

**I've fixed the mistake! Thank you Anonymous French Grammer Corrector Person! **

**Remember to review! It's always nice to hear what people think.**


	6. Step 6 - Be The Hero!

**Kapitel Sechs!**

-Chapter Six-

**(German)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Stealthy Escapes, Neighborhood Superheros, and The Precursor for Trouble!**

xXx

**Step 6 - Be the Hero!**

"Zo are zay awake yet?" Francis asked from behind an American newspaper. Arthur had just come back from checking on the twins, for the 4th time that day. "No, they are still sleeping, but at least their fevers haven't come back too badly. As long as we keep a cold compress on them, it won't get as bad as before." "Do you ztill sink votre petit Alfred iz a flight risk?" Francis asked, a hint of humor in his voice. "Yes I do! That's why I told you to watch the front door. And it's still raining out. Just think of how much worse he would get if he were to escape!" Arthur stated as he gestured out the window, animately. "Maybe zee reason why 'e tries to leave iz because 'e feels like 'e's being 'eld captive?" Francis mused to himself aloud. Arthur's angry retort was interrupted by a small grunt from somewhere. "What was that?" Arthur asked and looked around. "What waz what?" "I heard an odd noise from around here." Arthur explained. Francis put down the newspaper and looked around as well.

"I sink I've found zee noize." Francis called from a little room joined to the back of the kitchen. "I didn't know there was a back door here…" Arthur said as he walked over to Francis. "So where's the noise?" Francis laughed quietly to himself and pointed down. "Zere." Arthur followed his direction and was met with a pair of grumpy brown eyes. The Englishman blinked.

"Matthew's… bear?" Arthur finally said once a few seconds slipped by him. "Get me out!" Kumajiro demanded moodily. He was stuck in the kitty door. "Ow, did zis 'appen?" Francis asked holding back another laugh. Kumajiro ignored him and sulked. Arthur jumped slightly when something rubbed against his leg. Looking down he noticed a rather fluffy white cat. Hero looked up at the Englishman with his bright blue and purred loudly in greeting. "Great… now we have two more things to worry about."

Once they had finally managed to the get the unhappy Polar Bear out of the kitty door, a simple request floated up to their ears. "I'm hungry." Kumajiro whined as he crossed his arms while sitting on the kitchen counter. Hero hopped up onto the counter as well and meowed loudly to back him up on this quest for food.

"Ah, you are in luck. I 'ave made enough for everyone." Francis said with an arrogant smile. "I 'ave let zis zoup cook slowly overnight for better flavor, it should be delicious, oui?" Hero beamed at the Frenchman and started purring again, while Kumajiro was unimpressed, he would much rather have junk food.

Loud footsteps pounded down the hallway and a panicked Englishman came skidding into the kitchen. "He's gone!" Francis tilted his head and looked at him, doubtfully. "What do you mean?" "Alfred! He's gone!" Francis frowned. "Are you zure?" "Yes, I'm sure!" Arthur raged. "Did you check zee basthrooms?" Francis asked calmly. "Of course I did, he's not here!" Arthur was starting to look worried now. "I'm zure, e's 'ere zomewhere. You probably just missed him." Francis shrugged. "Nobody would be foolish enough to go out in whezzer like zis."

A loud bang resonated through the house as the front door hit against the wall from the force of the wind outside. They both flinched from the loud noise and look over to the now suspiciously ajar door. "Really?" Arthur started and folded his arms. "Not foolish enough, you say?" Francis didn't reply as he continued to stare, dazed, as if his mind wouldn't accept this ridiculous notion.

"What was that, eh?" The European nations turned around and found Matthew standing behind them, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I-it was nothing, lad. Don't worry about it." Arthur lied as he leaned slightly to block the door from view. "Now, why don't you go back to bed, the food is almost ready. Right Frog?" Francis shot him a glare. "Oui, it's ready…" Matthew frowned and looked at both of them suspiciously. "Where's Al?"

Before they had time to come up with a clever answer, the front door banged against the wall again and a sheet of rain sprayed into the living room. Matthew easily looked over Arthur's head and instantly came to the same conclusion as they had. "We have to go after him." The Canadian mumbled then walked past the two men and into the living room. "Non, Mathieu, we will go look for 'im." Francis said as he grabbed Matthew's shoulder to stop him. The teen turned to look at the Frenchman. "We need find him _now_, Papa. It's storming." Matthew protested. "I know, mon cher. _We_ will go find 'im, _you_ on zee osther 'and need to ztay inside and out of zis whezzer." Francis explained, logically. The teen looked back to the door and chewed on his bottom lip in worry. "Alright…but you should go now." He finally said. "Quite right, we need to get him now, before this gets any worse." Arthur agreed as he rushed past them and grabbed his coat. "Frog! You're coming with me, I need another set of eyes." Francis nodded silently and walked over to the coat rack as well. "You should get back to bed, Matthew. We will be back as soon as possible." Arthur directed and fished out his car keys from his coat pocket. The teen nodded slowly and watched them go.

"Oh, Al…" Matthew whispered to the silent house. Thunder boomed overhead, angrily and the rain picked up a little more. He sighed and turned around. Noticing Kumajiro on the counter, Matthew came over and scooped him up lovingly. "Where have you been, eh?" He asked as he cuddled his polar bear companion. Kumajiro looked up at him blankly. "I'm hungry!" The Canadian chuckled to himself. "Of course you are…"

"Alfie doesn't have much food in the house, but Papa made some soup." Matthew said as he set the bear down on the counter. "I don't want soup." Kumajiro said grumpily. The teen sighed. He knew that was coming. "How about this. You eat some healthy soup first, then I'll let you have a cookie or two. I baked some of your favorites." This perked the bear's interest. His love of unhealthy snacks had no equal. "Fine…" He growled and crossed his arms. Hero headbutted the small grumpy bear on the side of his face, affectionately and purred. Kumajiro growled in annoyance and tried to push the fluffy Ragamuffin away. Matthew looked over to the two furballs and laughed. "I bet you want some too, don't you Hero." The cat's ears perked at his name and he looked over to the teen and meowed happily in response.

**-(VC)-**

Arthur squinted through the windshield. The wipers were turned onto max but it was still almost impossible to see. "Any sign of him?" "Non, I can 'ardly zee anysing in zis rain." Francis replied. He was sitting in the passenger's seat staring out the window. "How long has it been?" Francis looked down at his watch. "Almost fifteen minutes." He informed. "Where the bloody hell did he go?!" Arthur snapped. "Who knows." Francis sighed and continued searching.

Blinking red and white lights blared through the window along with some blue and white lights. "Zlow down, I sink zere's been an accident up ahead." Arthur slowed the car as they approached the wreckage. Francis looked over at Arthur. The Englishman looked very anxious. He was obviously thinking the same thing. "Do you sink-" "Don't say it!" Arthur cut him off as he put the car into park alongside the road and got out. Francis frowned and slowly got out of the car himself, braving the rain.

A large SUV had crashed into a smaller car, leaving them both heavily damaged. Glass littered the ground around both vehicles, and the car was on fire despite the rain. There was red liquid on the ground around the SUV that might have been blood, or possibly fuel, it was hard to tell with the downpour.

"Angleterre, I sink the paramedics want you to ztay back." Francis said calmly as he pulled the Brit away from the wreck. Arthur snapped out of his troubled thoughts and looked around till he spotted some people sitting in the back of the ambulance. He shrugged Francis' hand off and made his way over to them.

"What happened?" Arthur asked hastily. A middle aged man looked up from his daughter and over to the new man standing before him. "Who are you?" He asked. "That doesn't matter. Can you _please_ tell me what happened?" Arthur asked again, trying to come off a bit more polite. "What does it look like? We hit a car." The man responded rudely. Arthur frowned at him.

"It was awesome!" A little brown haired boy shouted as he popped up from behind his dad. He looked to be around eight. "Oh man, you shoulda seen it! We were all like driving, and it was raining, and we couldn't see, so like dad was driving way too slow and we were all like really _really _bored when all of a sudden. Boom!" The little boy threw his hands into the air for dramatic effect. "We hit a car!" "Shut up, Donny!" His sister yelled and pushed him away from her ear. He ignored her and continued his very animate story. "Then, we were all like, "Dude, we totally hit a car!" and dad tried to open the doors to get us out but couldn't, cause they were all stuck. Oh! And then the van started smoking! We thought it was gonna catch fire!"

Arthur sighed in relief. _'It doesn't appear to have anything to do with Alfred, that's good.'_ "I see, well I'm glad you are all fine and unharmed." Arthur said in a dismissive manner and bagan walking away. "Wait! But I didn't even get to the best part!" The boy called. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Let me guess the ambulance came with all the _blinking_ lights…" He muttered under his breath but turned around anyway. "What was that?" He asked tiredly. "This kid came out of nowhere and helped us out." The father explained. Arthur frowned and listened closer. "He actually ripped the whole door off! It. Was. Awesome!" The hyperactive boy shouted. "And he was cute too~" His sister added and put her hands to her blushing face. "Ew. Shut up, Carol!" "Donny, don't tell your sister to shut up." The father reprimanded. "But she JUST told me to shut up! That's not fair!" The boy cried.

"What did this person look like?" Arthur asked with a new found interest. "Oh! He was tall and blonde and cute!" Carol informed him with a brighter blush. "He had this adorable little cowlick and the prettiest blue eyes ever!" Carol now had a look reminiscent of France when he gets too excited about something. Arthur took a step away from the girl out of habit. "Carol, you're not allowed to date until your sister does." Her dad told her, firmly. "But I don't _have_ a sister!" She cried. "You might have to wait awhile then." He concluded.

"Do you 'appen to know where zis person went?" Francis asked from beside Arthur. The father looked over at him and nodded in greeting. "He accompanied the woman from the other vehicle to the hospital. She looked pretty bad. Good thing he got her out in time. Her car actually caught on fire. He had to break the windshield to get her out, earned himself a nasty cut from the glass, too. Luckily the paramedics got here quickly." Arthur nodded to the father and turned to Francis.

"The nearest hospital around here is nearly an hour away, what should we do?" Arthur asked in a hushed voice. Francis thought for a moment then replied. "I sink we should go back to zee 'ouse. You should ztay wis Mathieu while I drive to the 'ospital." "But I-" "Non, Arthur, you are better at taking care of people, Mathieu needs zomeone zere for 'im." Francis interrupted. Arthur sighed. "Fine, but you better find that wanker and bring him home." Francis shrugged and smirked down at the smaller man. "I'll do what I can."

**~(TS)~**

Matthew slid out of bed when he heard the front door open, and made his way down the hallway to greet them. Arthur and Francis stood right inside the door and were taking off their dripping coats. They looked soaked to the bone. The teen looked behind and around them, then frowned. "Where's Al?" Both of the European nations looked over and gave him a guilty look. Matthew narrowed his eyes. "It appears your brozzair's "'ero" complex took over, and now 'e's being taken to zee 'ospital." "What?!" Matthew exclaimed, horrified. "Don't say it like _that_ you wanker!" Arthur snapped and elbowed Francis in his side. "What he means to say is, Alfred helped some unfortunate people out after a car accident and now he's _accompanying_ one of them to the hospital." Arthur explained, trying to smooth over the shock the Frenchman had caused. "Oui, and I'm going to drive zere right now to bring 'im back. Don't you worry, mon cher."

"Can I come too?" Matthew asked after getting over his initial shock. "I think it would be best if you stayed home and out of this weather, Matthew." Arthur replied as he walked past the Canadian and into the bathroom for a towel. _'Why am I even asking. I don't need their permission. I should just go.'_ Matthew thought to himself as he glowered at Arthur's back. _'Wait… I can't just go. My batterie's dead.'_ He cursed under his breath then looked to Francis. "Let me come with you." He tried again. Francis gave the teen a shrug and shook his head. "Listen to Angleterre." Matthew gaped at him. _'They're treating me like a colony again! I am Not a colony!'_ "Seriously, I want to go, _too_." Matthew pressed, now starting to sound a little whiny. "Non." Francis said with finality as he closed the door behind him. Matthew gasped.

"I'm not a colony anymore! I can do what I want! Eh!" He whisper-shouted at the closed door.

Arthur raised an enormous eyebrow and stared at him as he dried his hair with a towel. _'If it weren't for that Canadian quirk of his, I might of thought that, that was Alfred just now.' _He sighed. _'I guess even Matthew has his moments.' _

**xXx**

**WMD: Who else thinks that they should seriously consider tying Alfred to the bed when they get him back home?**


	7. Step 7 - Stay Calm

**Sho 7**

-Chapter Seven-

**(Japanese)**

**Am I a day late or a day early? **

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Elusive Americans, Paranoid Canadians, and Indecisive Englishman**

xXx

**Step 7 - Stay Calm**

When Francis arrived at the hospital, he quickly walked over to the front desk. Behind it sat a pretty young woman with long auburn hair, typing on a computer. "Excuse me, Mademoiselle. I am looking for a young man who waz brought 'ere earlier from a car accident. Can you tell me where 'e might be?" The woman looked up from her computer and blushed brightly. "Oh my God! Are you French? That is _so_ hot." Francis stared at her, momentarily disarmed. "Why, yes I am." He finally said when he recovered and gave her his signature '_French' smirk._

After getting the pretty nurse's number, he was led to a room, down a secluded hallway. "They were both brought here, after they were checked out and treated for injuries." The woman informed as she opened the door quietly. "We don't have many empty rooms at the moment, so we had to put them together. Please keep your voice down while visiting." Francis nodded in understanding and the woman smiled at him and left.

The room was quiet, with only a constant beeping sound to fill the silence. Looking over to the first bed, Francis discovered a dark haired woman with a white bandage wrapped neatly around her head. She had cuts and bruises, but nothing that looked too serious. As Francis walked past her as soundlessly as he could, he came to the other bed that was shielded by a pink curtain. _'Maybe I should just leave 'im 'ere.' _The Frenchman considered as he stilled his hand from drawing the curtains back. _'Zey could probably take care of 'im better anyway. Zen we would only 'ave to deal wiz one zick person. Besides Mathieu iz much more manageable.' _Francis sighed to himself as an image of Matthew's disappointed and hurt expression floated into his mind. _'e's already upset wiz me for leaving 'im behind wiz Arthur, returning wizout 'is idiot brozzair would not be good. Regardless of whezzer or not I'd like to leave zee fool 'ere.' _Francis begrudgingly admitted. With that he slowly pulled the curtains back.

The Frenchman stared down at a messy, unmade and empty bed. He frowned as he squeezed his eyes shut, a headache already developing. "Where iz 'e?" He asked quietly to the empty bed, as if it had the answers he was looking for. He was trying very hard to keep his annoyance under control.

"Are you looking for the boy who came here with me…?" Came a soft feminine voice behind him. Francis turned around and caught sight of the injured woman, who smiled in greeting. "I'm zorry, did I wake you?" "No, I was awake already, I was just resting my eyes." "I zee." Francis replied. "Were you looking for the boy?" She asked again and carefully gestured over to the empty bed. "Oui, I came 'ere to pick 'im up. Do you know where 'e went off too?" "He left a little while ago. I think he was worried about the cost of his treatment. I tried to tell him I'd pay for it and it was the least I could do, but the dear wouldn't hear of it." She explained kindly. "You zay 'e couldn't pay 'iz 'ospital bill?" Francis asked, now perplexed. "Well, he never actually said he couldn't pay it, but he kind of gave me the impression that, that was the case. Poor child, I hope he's not living on the streets." The woman shook her head sadly. Francis hesitated with this new found knowledge. _'What on Earth iz zis about?' _He frowned.

"Don't worry, 'e iz not 'omeless. I just need to find 'im. Did 'e tell you where 'e waz 'eading?" Francis asked after reassuring the injured woman. "I'm sorry dear, that's all I know." She concluded. "Sank you for your 'elp, Mademoiselle." Francis gave her a polite nod of the head and made his way to the door. "One more thing." The woman called. "Mmm?" The Frenchman turned to face the woman once more. "When you find him, please tell him how grateful I am. He is a true Hero." Francis held back a private smirk and nodded again, he then turned and left the room quietly.

_'Zis isn't good…'_ Francis stressed. _'What if I can't find 'im.'_ He cursed under his breath as he made his way out of the sliding hospital doors. _'Where would 'e 'ave gone?' _Torrential rain was still pouring from the sky and loud thunder boomed overhead. People were crowding the sidewalks, despite the weather and traffic seemed especially heavy. _'Wasn't 'e just lost in zee city a day ago?'_ Francis thought to himself, incredulously. He was reminded of all the trouble the teen had gotten into _last_ time, making him curse under his breath again as he scanned the surroundings for the blonde haired nuisance. Alfred was no where to be seen.

**~(TS)~**

"Sitting there worrying, isn't going to _magically_ bring them home any sooner, Matthew." Arthur muttered as he looked over at the teen from his book. The Canadian was sitting on the couch, legs drawn up to his chest, and his arms were crossed and resting atop his knees. Anyone else would probably say he looked like he was sulking, but in actuality he was just really worried. Arthur knew that.

The Englishman sighed when he received no response from the younger nation. It had been nearly 3 hours since Francis left to retrieve Alfred from the hospital and there had been no word from him. Truthfully, Arthur was getting worried himself. For Alfred of course. He refused to accept he was even the least bit worried about Francis. No, Never.

"Matthew." Arthur tried again. The Canadian finally took his chin off his knees and looked over to Arthur. "What?" He asked glumly. "You don't have to worry so much, they'll be back any moment, probably." Arthur said, trying to sooth the teen's nerves. Matthew didn't reply as he looked over to the door. Frowning he set his chin back on his knees. He was having the same bad feeling he had, had a day ago, when Alfred was wandering around the city for nearly 13 hours. Yes, he had counted. Something was off.

Matthew sighed and decided to preoccupy himself with something else that had been bothering him for awhile now. "Hey Arthur." The Brit looked up from his book again and gave the teen his full attention. "Yes?" "Why do you worry so much about Al?" Matthew asked as he looked back over to the Englishman with a discerning gaze. Arthur blushed in spite of himself. "W-well, he's m-my little brother. Of course I care for him." He sputtered, trying to come up with the right words. Matthew narrowed his eyes at the other man, as he took note of the change of word choice, Arthur had just used. "You know he's not _really_ your brother, right?" He started as he lifted his chin from his knees to fully glare at the Brit. "He's _my_ brother… He's my _twin_. Alfie's always been _mine_."

Arthur was caught unprepared by the harsh possessiveness that had just come from the usually passive Canadian. It confused him. _'Maybe it's just the fever talking…'_ He thought as he tried to shake the feeling that he had just been told to _back off_.

Before Arthur had time to give Matthew a proper response, the familiar jingle of his ringtone sounded from the coffee table. He closed his book and set it down, then casually picked up his cell phone. "It's been 3 hours. Where are you?" Arthur grumbled when he heard the Frenchman's voice.

Matthew watched from the couch, nervously when the Brit went silent as he listened into his phone. "What do you mean, you can't find him? Wasn't he supposed to be in the hospital?" Matthew frowned. _'I knew something was wrong…'_ "He left? What about the bill?" Arthur quirked an eyebrow as he listened to Francis' explanation. "Well just keep looking, he has to be somewhere…-I know it's a big city!" With that the Brit ended the call and leaned back in his seat.

"What happened?" Matthew asked, apprehensively. Arthur sighed. "Well, it appears, Alfred decided to skip out on the hospital bill and left. He's now in the city somewhere…again." "Why didn't he pay?" The teen questioned softly. "The Frog said, that the woman he helped out earlier told him that Alfred _couldn't_ pay, which is utterly ridiculous. He must have not wanted to deal with the paperwork, as usual."

The room went silent for a few minutes as both countries became distracted with their own thoughts. Kumajiro, finally tiring of the awkward quietness of the room, sat back into an attentive position on the couch next to Matthew and stared up at him. The Canadian was staring at the front door again, even though he knew nobody would be coming. The small bear sighed then looked over to the other person in the room. Arthur was still leaning back in the chair, his elbow propped on the armrest and his chin in his hand as he stared out the window with a worried expression. Kumajiro frowned and looked back to his favorite person to discover that the teen was now hunched over and chewing on his lower lip, while _still_ staring at the front door. The little bear glowered at him, and yet again looked over at the other person. Arthur now had his body turned slightly to face the window and his arms crossed in insecurity. Kumajiro huffed in annoyance. "Just go get him, already!" He finally suggested as he crossed his furry arms, grumpily.

Both countries looked over to the small polar bear in surprise, by his sudden outburst. "It _is_ getting rather late…" Arthur finally said as he considered. "I agree with Mr. Kumamocha, we need to go get him right now." Matthew said as he earnestly sided with his bear. "Maybe we should just calm down and wait, I'm sure Francis will find him…" Arthur was now reconsidering. Matthew gave the Brit a look of disbeliefe.

A sharp crack of lightning exploaded just outside, making the lights flicker violently. It was followed nearly instantly by an extremely loud thunder clap that shook the house. Matthew, Arthur, and Kumajiro could even feel the strong vibrations that it caused, making them all cry out in shock.

"I'm getting my brother!" Matthew whisper-shouted as he bounced off of the couch to get the necessary things he would need. "I'll go get the car ready." Arthur said, for once agreeing out right. Kumajiro, not wanting any part of a wreckless venture out in that horrid weather, climbed off the couch and retreated back to Alfred's bedroom, where it was safe and dry.

**~(TS)~**

Two and a half hours later, Arthur and Matthew had finally made it into the city. The trip had taken much longer, due to the weather. It was nearing 8pm and the cloud cover had completely blocked out the remaining light of day. The car ride had been silent almost the whole way there, giving Matthew the opportunity to think back to what he had said to Arthur. _'That must have come off sounding really strange coming from me…' _He thought to himself, feeling the sting of embarrassment. _'But I really meant it… Alfie and I have been together for forever, so why do I feel so threatened by Arthur when Al's involved?' _The Canadian gave the English driver a long side glance and frowned. _'It's not like he can just take Alfie away from me, like when we were little. That would be impossible now.'_ The teen turned his gaze back to the road and brooded as he listened to the rain pelt the car roof. _'Still…it feels like he's trying to take Al away just like last time, only now, he's using different tactics then before.' _

Unwanted thoughts started popping into his head then. _'Oh god! What if Alfie actually starts to like him more then me!? What if he wants to spend more time in England? What if he starts calling Arthur 'Big Brother" again? What if they want to become real brothers?! That's not geographically possible, but the very idea scares me!' He shook his head dramatically. 'What if they want to become more then brothers? What if they want to move in together?' _Matthew gasped. _'What if they go to California and get married!?' _The Canadian snapped his furious violet eyes back to Arthur. _'Never...' _He growled inside his head.

Chills ran down Arthur's spine as kept getting unstable vibes from his Canadian passanger. Not to mention the odd glances he kept receiving when his head was turned. The Englishman swallowed thickly, as he tried to shake off the heavy atmosphere of malice that had settled around them. _'It's just the fever that's making him act this way.' _Arthur reminded himself. _'Just the fever…' _"I say-" Arthur began, trying to dissolve the unspoken issue that was floating around. "Are you feeling alright, lad? Would you like me to pull the car over for you, again?" Matthew popped his head up and looked at the Brit once more. "No…" Was his only reply as he narrowed his eyes into a glare. Arthur swallowed and looked back to the road. _'It's only the fever…' _"Alright then, we're almost to the hospital anyway. We can meet up with Francis and then take a look around." Matthew nodded and looked back to the road as well, but when a sudden wave of nausea hit him again, he clamped his hands over his mouth. "Pull over!" Came a muffled cry. Arthur swerved the car to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes just in time for his passenger to throw open the door and lean out into the rain for the 4th time, since they had left the house. _'This is getting really bad, we need to find Alfred quickly, if I understand these two even just a little, I'd wager he's in the exact same condition as Matthew.' _Arthur worried as he waited for the Canadian to shut his door again.

'Where are you Alfred?'

**xXx**

**WMD: Poor Mattie and his fever induced paranoia. lol**

**Where could Alfred have gone _now?_**


	8. Step 8 - Avoid Bad Weather

**Glava vos'maya~**

-Chapter Eight-

**(Russian)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**Longest chapter so far and only _two_ warnings?! **

**It's true!**

**Warnings for - Possible Hurricanes and Twin Magnetism**

xXx

**Step 8 - Avoid Bad Weather**

The bright lights of the hospital illuminated the semi darkness of the sleepy city. The streets were far less crowded then normal. Even the sidewalks had less traffic as most people had finally decided that their day should end earlier then normal, due to the storm.

Arthur and Matthew were greeted by Francis, as they approached the front entrance to the hospital. The Frenchman was damp and looked rather unhappy, but given the current circumstances, who could really blame him? "If I would 'ave known zat zis iz 'ow my day waz going to go, I would 'ave stayed on zee couch." Francis complained the first chance he got. "Shut it, frog! None of us are having a good day!" Arthur snapped as they stopped in front of Francis, and were now safely protected underneath the cement overhang just outside of the doors. Matthew ignored their instant bickering and scanned the immediate area. _'Where would you go, Alfie?' _

"Mathieu, you look terrible." Francis said when he took sight of his former colony. "Arthur, why did you bring 'im wis you? 'e should be in bed, not walking around. Escpecially not in zis whezzer! What were you sinking?" "You _know_ I couldn't have left him home! …Besides he was in the car before I was." Arthur retorted and crossed his arms.

Matthew made his way over to the side of the overhang and peered out into the pouring streets, occasionally getting sprayed with rainy wind. Many of the shops had closed early and there were nearly no cars on the normaly congested roads. A sharp wind blew past him, almost knocking his glasses right off his face. The Canadian quickly stepped back and pushed his glasses up again.

"What _is_ this? A hurricane?!" Arthur yelped as he was sprayed with rainy wind as well."Zee whezzer 'az been getting gradually worse zince zis morning." Francis said as he blocked another gust with his hand.

The streetlights were swaying dangerously over the streets and small objects were actually being moved around ever so slightly by the wind. Matthew watched a trashcan lid roll down the opposite sidewalk and crash into a wall. Thunder boomed overhead again as lightning brightened the cloudy sky, temporarily. The Canadian tensed up at the sound and grit his teeth as he surveyed as far as he could. _'Where are you, Al!'_ He shouted inside his head as the long suppressed panic attack finally started setting it. A sharp pain stabbed into his left arm, near his shoulder, making him hiss and pull back from where he was.

"What _was_ that…?" Matthew mumbled as he lifted his sleeve to investigate the wound. His eyebrows rose in confusion when he found nothing. Just a throbbing pain. "Alfie…" He concluded aloud, though nobody would be able to hear him over the wind. "Alfie's hurt."

Another strong wind whipped past the European Nations, making them brace themselves. "We should get back in our cars and look for him!" Arthur shouted over the wind. "I agree!" Francis replied. "Matthew, come on we-" Arthur looked over to the person he was supposedly addressing and found that the Canadian was missing. "Damn it! Not the other one _too_!" Arthur cried. He was then grabbed by the hand and pulled along after Francis, as the Frenchman dashed out into the rain. "What the bloody hell are you doing?!" Arthur hissed as he allowed himself to be led by his Frenemy. "Look!" Francis said as he pointed a finger to the retreating back of the Canadian peronification. The teen then whipped around a corner and was gone from sight. "Hurry up, frog! We can't loose _him_ as well!" Arthur yelled, then sped up as he tightened his grip on Francis' hand and dragged the taller man after him. Francis couldn't help but look down at their joined hands in wonder, as if it were the oddest thing to behold. A small smile formed on his face as he allowed Arthur to pull him along.

Around another corner, down another alley. Matthew didn't know _where_ he was going, but his body did. This really wasn't the first time he had, had to find his twin this way. There were actually many occasions that this innate ability that they both shared had come in handy, though it _was_ usually triggered by an excessive amount of stress.

Matthew was almost sent flying, when he tripped over a wooden crate he had failed to notice when he turned a corner. He hopped a few times on one foot till he reclaimed his blanace, then took off again. He was close now, he could feel it. When he finally made it out of the alleyway, he came to a halt as a warm feeling arose in his chest. "Found you…" Matthew said softly as he looked around in the immediate area. His violet eyes focused in on a form slumped against the wall of an incorporated brick bench, built into the side of a building that sold Submarine sandwiches, it was also closed.

"Al!" Matthew called out as he ran across the empty street to his brother. Worry filled him when he recived no answer, so he urged his feet to move a little faster. It was quite a bit quieter underneath the canopy of buildings, and the location seemed perfectly selected to fend against the strong gusts of wind. "Al." He said again when he finally reached his slumped over brother. Still no response. Matthew frowned and gently shook the American's shoulder. "Alfie, wake up." Nothing. Alfred was completely soaked and there was a soggy stained bandage on his upper left arm. That didn't surprise Matthew. The Canadian bent down in front of his brother and put his hand to the American's forehead. Alfred had a very high fever, it was _too_ high. Matthew unconsciously bit down on his lower lip in worry as he lifted his other hand in order to cup Alfred's face. "Alfie. Wake up, eh?"

Finally, Matthew saw movement as his brother lifted his right hand and reached up to grab his twin's arm. Alfred's bright azure eyes fluttered open to meet concerned violet eyes staring down at him. "Hey Mattie…you ok?" Relief overcame Matthew as he stared down into those beautiful blue orbs, and then his frustration came shortly after.

"No, I'm not." He replied with a frown. Alfred mimicked his expression. "What's wrong?" "Why'd you leave the house this morning?" Matthew asked as he glowered down at his twin. "My Hero senses were tingling, bro." Alfred chuckled. Matthew was unimpressed. "Then, why did you go all the way to the hospital, you only have a small cut." Alfred tsked. "I had to get _7_ stitches, plus I had to make sure that, that lady was ok." The Canadian sighed. "Fine…but why did you leave the hospital, Papa was going to pick you up." Alfred wrinkled his nose slightly and looked to the side. "Dude, you _know_ how I hate hospitals…" "Alfie, do you know how worried I was? We didn't know where you were. It was just like a day ago when you were lost in the city, only this time it's storming! Seriously Al, why couldn't you have just stayed put and waited?" Matthew rambled unhappily, while still holding his brother's face in his hands, in hopes that he would take him seriously. "You're stressing me out, Alfie!"

Alfred's eyes widened when he saw a tear slide down Matthew's cheek. _'Was he really that worried?'_ Guilt invaded his defences as he silently cursed himself. The American's face softened as he lifted his other hand and carefully wiped the tears from his twin's cheek. "You're such a crybaby, Mattie." Alfred teased as he watched a blush rise onto his brother's face. "I am not! You're the crybaby, Alfie." The Canadian cried and spun the insult back around. Alfred chuckled. "Yeh _right_, the Hero can't be a crybaby." "You cried just last month when you found your motorcycle dismantled in your driveway." Matthew reminded as a small smile came onto his face. "Those were manly tears! And it was totally justified." Alfred flushed.

Matthew finally released his twin's face and took a step back to laugh at that stupid comeback. Alfred's expression softened again as he watched his brother's mood lighten. _'There's the pretty smile I was looking for…' _He thought to himself, satisfied.

As he laughed, Matthew felt his stress that had been building up throughout the entire day, lessen dramatically. _'I was so mad at him a moment ago, so why am I laughing?' _The Canadian thought to himself. _'He didn't even apologize, he just called me a crybaby!' _A twinge of annoyance rose up again, but it was instantly brushed away when he felt warm arms wrap around his body and pull him into a comforting hug. Matthew felt his chin rest on his brother's wet shoulder and he unconsciously breathed in his scent. _'Who am I kidding?' _He submitted with a soft smile as he wrapped his arms around Alfred in return. _'How could I ever stay mad at him?' _

**-(VC)-**

"There they are…" Arthur panted as they rounded another corner and spotted the two North American brothers. He released Francis' hand and carefully walked over to them as he fended against the violent gusts of wind. "Yes… have your happy little reunion." The Englisman grumbled to himself, as he eyed the embracing twins. "It's not like you just had us chase you through a bloody deluge or anything." He cursed under his breath as he continued his private rant. "If you knew where he was this whole time, you should have just told us! We could have brought the car around. But _noo_. You just _had_ to run off like your brother. How the hell did he know where Alfred was anyway? Did they have this planned?! This is bloody irresponsible!"

Francis smirked as he followed the ranting Englishman across the street, he seemed absolutely livid for some reason. _'At least we kept up wiz Mathieu. Now maybe zis little fiasco can come to an end and we can all wind down, Zis day 'as been very taxing on everyone it zeems…'_

"If you're quite ready. I think we should head back now and get out of this blasted rain!" Arthur's sharp voice startled the twins and they flinched then pulled away from each other. Alfred looked over and was met with deep emerald eyes that were turned into a glare by large angry eyebrows. "Oh hey, Artie! You came too?" The American greeted happily as he missed the tense atmosphere. The Englishman narrowed his eyes even more. "Don't "Hey Artie" me! I told you that's not my name!" He started as he clenched his fists. "And of course I came as well, we couldn't just leave you here, out in this weather. Though, maybe we _should_ have! It might have taught you a lesson, you stupid git! This is _all_ your fault!" Arthur yelled agrily, making everyone flinch.

Matthew even felt the sting of those words as he stared at Arthur in shock. The teen then directed his gaze back to his brother. Alfred had his _'kicked puppy look'_ turned onto max as he stared down at the smaller man, and who could really blame him? …Though it really _was_ his fault. But Arthur didn't have to say it like that! The Canadian turned back to the Brit, ready to give him a well deserved _'what for'_, but was stopped as Alfred carefully brushed past him and walked over to Arthur. He then smoothly bent over and gently enveloped the smaller man into a warm hug. "I'm sorry, Arthur." He whispered into the Englishman's ear. "I know it's all my fault. I get it, I'm a real jerk. I ruined everyone's day, for that, I'm _really_ sorry." Alfred pulled back in order to look at Arthur's blushing face. "Please forgive me, ok?"

Francis watched as Arthur turned his head and looked to the side, still blushing. "W-well, as long as you realize your mistake." The smaller man replied, his temper had seemingly diminished. A glint of light caught the Frenchman's attention making him look past the two closer countries. Light was reflecting off of Matthew's glasses and his face held little expression. Francis sighed in understanding.

"Come on, let's go." Matthew said as he walked past them and started down the sidewalk, exposing himself to the rain again. Hearing this, Alfred's head snapped in the direction his brother had gone and he released Arthur from his hold. "Wait up, Mattie!" He called, then rushed after his twin and into the heavy downpour as well. A cold chill ran up Arthur's arms when Alfred left, causing a small shiver to creep over his body. He crossed his arms and rubbed his wet skin to warm himself a bit, then followed after the twins. "Come on, frog. Before they leave us behind again…" Francis huffed at the offensive name that the Brit kept using, but stayed quiet and started walking also.

'Why is Mattie upset _now_?' Alfred stressed as he kept pace with his brother, a few feet behind. _'Did I do something wrong?'_ His steps slowed slightly as he stared at his brother's back. _'I never seem to do anything right…' _He thought darkly as he slowed even more. Even with his glasses, Alfred was having a hard time keeping his eyes focused, not to mention the pounding headache he had, had for hours, appeared to be getting worse.

"Don't fall behind, Alfred. We don't want you getting lost again." Arthur said as he and Francis walked past him. The teen rolled his eyes at them, though their backs were already turned. "I wasn't lost in the first place… I always know…exactly where I am…" He panted as he tried to keep up. _'What the heck, I was just fine a few minutes ago. Well not fine…but not this bad!' _The rain felt like ice needles and the wind threatened to blow his already unsteady body over with every gust. "This sucks…" Alfred moaned as he willed his body to keep moving.

_'Why am I so pissed? I mean, it was just a hug after all. Nothing special. But it still bothers me!'_ Matthew grit his teeth as he trudged forward, his bitter resentment towards the Englishman growing little by little, as his thoughts raced to seemingly irrational corners of his mind. _'Why does Al have to be so nice all the time?!' _Matthew's shoulders drooped slightly as he let out a sigh. _'When did I become so jealous? This is getting really pathetic…' _

A quick gust of wind blew past the Canadian, making him sway unsteadily to the left. After regaining his balance again, Matthew turned his gaze skyward to observe the angry darkness. Lightning lit up the sky, ominously. "Is it getting _worse_?" He wondered aloud as rain blurred his glasses. Matthew shivered, the rain seemed much colder now, then it had been before for some reason. Maybe it was because he was more aware of it, now that he wasn't running. The teen wrapped his arms around himself and shivered again. He was starting to feel sick to his stomach and there was a persistent swimming feeling swirling around in his head, making it difficult for his eyes to stay focused. "Good thing we're close to the hospital, eh?" He said half jokingly to himself, though nobody would be able to hear his soft voice over the loud storm.

"Hey… Mattie….?" Matthew slowed his pace when he heard his brother's voice from behind him, though maybe it actually came from inside his head, since it sounded so clear. "What..?" He responded with accidental bitterness as he turned slightly to look over his shoulder at Alfred.

The Canadian's violet eyes widened as he witnessed his brother, who normally seemed so strong and lively, collapse to the wet sidewalk, with an almost muted thud.

"Alfie!" Matthew cried as he spun around and rushed past the two European countries, who were quite unaware of the problem. The teen fell to his knees beside his twin as the rain pelted them from above. He then carefully turned his brother over, after grabbing his shoulder with both hands. The American was completely unconscious and his complexion had gone very pale.

The European's turned around also, in their own confusion and instantly saw the problem. "My god.." Arthur whispered. He then rushed over also, alongside Francis.

Matthew looked up to the two older countries, a fearful expression etched onto his face. "We need to get Al to the hospital! Now!" He demanded as he cradled his brother's head in his lap. Francis nodded silently as he brushed past Arthur, who seemed to be frozen to the spot as he stared at the twins, for once out of quick responces. The Frenchman stooped down and gently lifted the vulnerable American from the ground and into a bridal position in his arms. "Let's go. Quickly!" Francis snapped. The other two nodded and followed after him without another word.

They arrived back at the hospital a few minutes later after a reckless sprint through the stormy weather. Thankfully they _were _actually pretty close. "We need some help here!" Arthur called out when they made it inside. After seeing the state of the unconscious teenager, one nurse got on the hospital phone while the other quickly left to go get help. "You're going to be fine, lad." Arthur said reassuringly to the unresponsive American personification, though it was more for his own benefit, as he brushed a few strands of dark blonde hair out of Alfred's face. "We are terrible caretakers." Francis breathed out in a somber tone. "Don't you think I know that!" Arthur bit out angrily. "You don't have to remind me." "Zey were no where near zis bad a day ago…" Francis said as he stared down at the sopping wet and bedraggled teen in his arms. "I know…" Arthur replied with a frown. He then sighed and brushed a hand through his dripping blonde hair in frustration. "What _more_ could go wrong." He grumbled, dismally.

As if to answer his question, a loud slap sounded from behind them. They both turned to see what it was, though they already had a pretty good idea. "Mon dieu!" Francis cried in alarm. "Bloody hell…" Arthur breathed as their eyes landed on the unconscious Canadian sprawled out on the tiled floor of the hospital.

**xXx**

**WMD: This actually didn't take me that long, but then my computer crashed! DX**

**C'est la vie. Oui? **

**Sorry for the cliffhanger! **

**Remember to leave a Review~**


	9. Step 9 - See a Doctor

**Dl Jiu Zhang**

-Chapter Nine-

**(Chinese)**

**Now that we're past _that_ drama, the story is going to focus more on how the twins feel about each other.**

**So it's gonna get fluffeh!**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Expert Tracker Nurses, Dr. Sexy Cameo, and Twin Fetishes!**

xXx

**Step 9 - See a Doctor **

"It's fortunate you got them here in time. Pneumonia can sometimes be fatal in severe cases." Arthur and Francis couldn't help but stare at the doctor that was now informing them on the condition of the twins. He was absurdly handsome and tall, with a rugged shave and unkempt brunette hair. "They have Pneumonia?" Arthur asked, finally snapping out of it. _'Why did zis beautiful man become a doctair? 'e should be a model!' _Francis thought to himself, still completely ignoring the conversation as he continued to stare with his signature _'French' smirk_.

The doctor casually put his hands into his white lab coat pockets and gave them a serious look, further enhancing his charm. "Yes, but don't worry. Neither of them have a very severe case. In my medical opinion, I'd say that they just overexerted themselves today." Arthur breathed a sigh of relief at this new bit of reassuring information. "So they'll be ok then?" The doctor nodded. "Due to their young age, and physical health, they should be just fine. We would like to keep them overnight to make sure that they are completely stable, then they can be treated at home." "Just overnight? Are you zure zat's enough time?" Francis asked with a frown. He had hoped they would at least stay for a few days in case something went wrong. Another part of him also wished to be rid of Alfred for a little bit longer, though he'd never say it, especially not around Matthew. "Unforetunaly, that is all we can offer at the moment. There has actually been quite a few Pneumonia cases coming in lately, and we need the beds for the children and the elderly. However, I am confident that these boys will be able to recover from this at home, with the right antibiotics of course." The handsome doctor chuckled smoothly and gave them a pleasant albeit slightly arrogant smile. "Now, if you need to ask any questions, just call for me at the front desk. My name is-" "Doctor!" The handsome doctor was interrupted by a very attractive intern rushing over to him. "We need you in room B12!" The doctor gave them an apologetic look and nodded again. "Excuse me." With that, he turned and walked away calmly, towards his new destination. Arthur and Francis both tilted their heads as they watched him go. "Iz e' wearing cowboy boots…?" Francis asked in obvious fascination, a devious smirk on his face. "I don't think that's proper hospital attire…" Arthur replied in slight disaproval. "Who cares, it's zexy." Francis said as they both continued to stare.

**~(TS)~**

A chill ran up Matthew's body as he felt a cold object being pressed against his bare chest. "Nnnnhhh…" He moaned as he slowly opened his violet eyes to meet a pretty nurse with long auburn hair hovering over him, as she listened to his breathing. "Ah! You woke up. Sorry about that." She smiled as she gave him a wink. "You're _just_ as sensitive as your brother!" She giggled airily. Matthew looked at her confused, then let his eyes wander. _'Where am I… What happened?' _He took note of the overly neat and clean feel to the room with white walls. _'Am I in the hospital? Why…?' _Matthew slowly brought his gaze back to the young energetic nurse, who was staring down at him, happily. "Where's Alfie…?" He asked, still half asleep. She gushed as her cheeks heated up in excitement. "You call your brother _'Alfie'_?" She asked and inched closer to him. "That's so cute! When I checked on him just a few minutes ago, he called you _'Mattie'_! This is so adorable! I just love twins!" She exclaimed. Her expression was starting to remind him of Francis whenever he got too _'excited' _about something.

"E-eh…?" Matthew stammered as he tried to press himself further into the bed and away from the woman. She grinned down at him mischievously, her auburn hair falling from behind her ear. As if a miracle had happened, a loud beeping went off from somewhere, making the nurse frown and lean back. She then retrieved a beeper from her pocket and looked at it. "I'll come and check on you a little later, sweety." She said after a sigh and patted Matthew on his bare chest. "Make sure to cough, it's important to clear that congestion." She winked and then left the room quietly.

Matthew let out a soft sigh of relief and allowed himself to relax a bit more. "Oh man! Isn't she hot?!" The Canadian jumped slightly when a sudden voice shot out from inside the room. He turned his head and spotted a young boy sitting up on the other bed, he might have been around 13, and he was wearing pajamas as if he came prepared to stay awhile.

"Yeh.." Matthew said, failing to come up with a better response. His head felt so foggy right now, and the bright lights were hurting his eyes. "So whatcha in here for?" The boy asked as he bounced off his bed and boldly came over to his new roommate. _'That sounds like something you would ask if you were in prison…' _Matthew thought as he looked down at himself, exhausted. "I don't really know…" He replied softly.

Matthew noticed a small wristband on his left wrist with ID numbers on it. He then noticed he had no shirt on and that he was half underneath a thin blue sheet. _'Maple! Am I naked?!' _He panicked as he quickly took hold of the ends of the sheet and took a small peek underneath. Matthew released yet another sigh of relief when he found that he was indeed wearing pants. _'But, these aren't my pants… that means…-'_

"Mattie!" Matthew's head popped up to witness his brother as he came sliding into the room, wearing nothing but a pair of pale blue hospital pants and some clean white socks, along with a fresh bandage on his left arm. "A-Alfie?" The Canadian stammered in surprise. _'He's ok …thank goodness…' _He thought as a warm smile graced his lips. "Oh! There you are. Dude, bro, someone stole my clothes!" Alfred accused from the doorway. _'And now he's back to normal…' _Matthew rolled his eyes and smirked. "I noticed. Shouldn't you be in bed, Al?" "I don't _need_ to rest." Alfred crossed his arms and pouted. "I feel fine!" "Al." Matthew said, taking on a serious tone. "Don't you _dare_ run off again. Stay in the hospital." A sly smile came onto Alfred's face. "I wouldn't run off, Mattie. Besides if I _did, _you know I'd take you with me."

"There you are! Get back to room B14. We can't have you escaping again without paying the bill like you did yesterday!" A large grumpy nurse growled as she set her hand on Alfred's shoulder. The teen snapped his head to her and gaped. "How did you find me!" He gasped in disbelief. "I thought I lost you on the 4th floor!" The nurse huffed. "I've dealt with runners craftier then you, child." She said as she took hold of Alfred's wrist and pulled him out of the room. "Besides, it was pretty obvious where you were going." "No! Don't take me back there!" Alfred's voice trailed off down the hallway. "It smells in that room, and she has a photo album!"

Matthew lowered his head and stared at his hands as a light blush tinted his cheeks. _'You'd take me with you, eh?' _He chuckled at his hopeless reaction to those simple words. They weren't actually that unusual, Alfred has always said things like that. But for some reason, this time, those words had left Matthew with a warm feeling inside of his stomach, accompanied with a tingling sensation, almost like butterfly wings. He smiled to himself softly.

"Man, I wish I had a brother like that." The young boy said beside Matthew, startling the teen again. Matthew looked over to him and raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?" "Because, your bro actually seems like he's _cares_ about you." The boy replied as he crossed his arms. "_My_ bro just dropped me off here! Right after he stole my girlfriend!" He pouted. "Eh?" Matthew responded, unsure of what to say to that. "Yeh, That jerk! But that's ok. I'm totally dating that hot nurse now!" He proclaimed triumphantly as he put his hands on his hips and turned his head in an attempt to look more manly. "Is that so." Matthew smirked. "He's going to be _so_ jealous." The boy grinned. Matthew couldn't help but laugh at the odd overly confident kid, to which the boy joined in as well, seeing as the humor was obviously being directed at his soon-to-be-so-sad-brother, instead of himself.

**~(TS)~**

Francis sat out in the waiting room, reading an American magazine. He had been there all night, just in case. Arthur had decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some necessary items, then had gone back to Alfred's house to tidy things up and check on the animals while he waited.

The large round clock on the wall of the hospital read 7:50am. Check out time was at 8:00am, so Francis started prepping himself for the ride home. He had already filled out the paperwork for the twins, now all that was left was to actually receive them and get them loaded into the car with the least amount of problems they could manage.

"Please, just get in the wheelchair." "No way, dude! I'm not leaving here looking like some invalid!" "It's hospital policy. Besides, you _are_ an invalid. So, please just sit down so I can wheel you out safely." "Not gonna happen!"

Francis sighed to himself, tiredly. "It's ztarting already…" He muttered to himself as he watched as Alfred came skidding into the waiting room, looking disgruntled. A heavy set nurse was following after him, while wheeling an empty wheelchair in front of her. She also looked disgruntled.

After picking up a small bag with the twins belongings in it, Francis stood up smoothly and made his way over to the already-way-too-obnoxious-American. "Causing trouble already?" Francis asked when Alfred met him half way. The teen shrugged. "They said I could leave early." "I don't blame zem for wanting to be rid of you." Francis replied half sarcastically. "That's just mean." Alfred pouted.

"You don't really need to do this, I can walk." Matthew complained as he sat awkwardly in a wheelchair. "It's hospital policy, Sweety." The pretty nurse with auburn hair replied as she pushed the wheelchair into the waiting room. "Plus, it's totally worth it to see that _cute_ blush when you're embarrassed!" She teased as she bent over to give him a side long grin. "I-I'm not embarrassed." Matthew said as he leaned away from her slightly.

"Mattie!" Alfred cheered when he saw his brother. The Canadian looked up and blushed even brighter when he saw his twin striding over to him cheerfully. "Why are you in a wheelchair?" Alfred asked with a smirk. "I don't know… They said I _had_ to." Matthew mumbled in embarrassment.

"Please remain seated~" The nurse directed in a sing song voice as Matthew tried again to get out of the chair. Alfred chuckled in amusement. "I got him." He stated to the nurse and then took over pushing his brother. "Alfie! Don't go so fast! You're going to run into something." Matthew cried as he braced himself. "Don't worry, Mattie. I'm an excellent driver." Alfred reassured as he narrowly missed a table piled high with magazines.

"_Ohh_~ It's so _cute_~" The pretty nurse squealed in excitement as she put her hands to her cheeks. "I know, right? So _adorable_~" An identical voice agreed, just as excitedly. Matthew and Alfred looked over, confused. "Holy-" "Maple! There's two of them!" They both cried out in horror. The auburn haired nurse waved back to them flirtatiously as she stood beside the reception desk. Behind the desk, seated in a chair, was the woman's twin sister. She had her elbows on the surface and was resting her chin in her hands as she smiled slyly back at the twin boys.

"If you run into any problems, please don't hesitate to bring them back to the hospital." Came a deep voice, as the extremely handsome doctor walked casually over to lean on the reception desk beside the two nurses, his hands in his lab coat pockets. "Sank you, I doubt we will be 'aving anymore problems, but I will keep siz in mind." Francis replied with a devious smile. "Mattie…" Alfred said quietly as he leaned down to his brother's ear, while keeping his eyes on the doctor. "Yeh, Al?" Matthew replied also staring. "Is the doctor wearing cowboy boots?" Alfred asked, as he sought a second opinion for what he thought he was seeing. "You see them too, eh?" "Yeh, bro." "Honhonhon~ Isn't it zexy…?" Both the twins turned to look at Francis, who was also ogling the handsome doctor. Alfred cleared his throat. "We'll be in the car…" With that, he carefully turned and wheeled his brother out of the main entrance.

**xXx**

**WMD: I just had too! Dr. Sexy MD was just too perfect to pass up! This isn't a cross over or anything, it's just that small cameo's are fun lol**

**For those of you that are confused, Dr. Sexy MD is a character on a TV show within the Supernatural series.**

**It's comepletely ok if you don't know, it's not even important to the story, just something fun I added.**

**xXx**

**WMD: The next chapter is going to be full of fluff, and I'm now wondering if I should change the genre a little. **

**Remember to leave me a review! Tell me what you think of the story. I get kind of worried when there are more chapters then reviews... though I guess it doesn't really matter.**


	10. Step 10 - Bring an Umbrella

**Tizedik Fejezet **

-Chapter Ten-

**(Hungarian)**

**I was wondering. Does anyone even read my warnings? I just make them to remind myself what the chapter is about. But they've sort of become a unique part of my stories. So I was wondering if people ignore them or read them.**

**Lots of thinking and lots of _not_ thinking goes on in this chapter!**

**XD**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**Warnings for - Odd Behavior, Peeping Frenchman, and Bothersome Sexual Tension**

xXx

**Step 10 - Bring an Umbrella**

The storm had pretty much died down from it's turbulent state the night before and had turned into a steady rain. The car ride back to Alfred's house was unusually quiet, much to Francis' pleasure. He peered at the twins through his rearview mirror. They had decided to both sit in the backseat together, which the Frenchman found quite amusing, but not that unusual. _'It doesn't look like any of us got much zleep last night…' _Francis thought to himself as he took another glance back at the twins. They were both sound asleep. Matthew was leaning against his brother, and resting his head on Alfred's chest, his lips curved upward ever so slightly to form a small smile. Whereas the American had his head tilted back, resting over the backseat, his mouth was open a little and he was breathing heavily. Matthew had taken his brother's left hand and was holding it in his own lap.

Francis quirked an eyebrow at this, then sighed quietly. _'Only a fool would fail to notice 'ow Mathieu truly feels about 'is brozzair, it's zo obvious…' _He frowned and focused on the road. _'Unfortunately, it zeems mon cher 'as zet 'is zights on zee biggest fool of zem all…' _

_'I 'ope zis doesn't end badly for you, mon petit Mathieu…'_

**~(TS)~**

A little over half an hour later, Francis was pulling his car into Alfred's driveway. He set the car in park then turned off the engine. "We're 'ere." He casually said as he turned in his seat and peered back into the backseat at the twins. A smile appeared on his face as he stared at them. They had shifted their positions slightly, and now Alfred was leaning against Matthew as well, his head resting on his brother's. Their hands were laced together between them on the seat. "Honhonhon~" Francis laughed as quietly as he could as he pulled out his camera to take a picture.

_'If zay keep zis up, I'll be able to trade wiz zee headstrong Elizaveta.' _Francis grinned as he stared down at the picture he had just taken. _'I know she's been making zee zexy pianist edition.' _Francis thought as his grin turned perverted. _'I just need a few more pictures…' _

Francis peered outside of the car and studied the rain. _'I'll go get an umbrella for zem, we don't need zee boys to get drenched again.'_

The sudden closing of the car door awoke Alfred from his much needed nap. "Wha…?" The confused question came in a whisper as his eyes opened and he looked around the backseat. He then carefully lifted his head and peered down at his sleeping brother. The Canadian was resting his head gently on Alfred's shoulder. _'Guess we were both tired, huh?' _He mused as a light smile appeared on his face.

Alfred opened and closed his left hand when he found that it was intertwined in Matthew's. He then lifted their hands from the seat in order to look at them. "I'm so hopeless." He whispered with an awkward smile as he felt that familiar warmth build up in his stomach.

After setting their hands back down on the seat between them, Alfred gently brushed his brother's honey blonde hair out of his face. "Wake up, Mattie…" He whispered as he leaned over next to Matthew's ear. A few seconds later, Alfred felt his brother's body shift slightly as he stirred from his sleep. "Mmm…." Came Matthew's barely awake response. The Canadian then lifted his head slowly and stared up at Alfred with half-lidded eyes.

An uncontrollable blush raged across Alfred's face like a wildfire as he stared back at his twin. _'Why does Mattie have to be so freaking adorable when he wakes up?' _"…Are we there yet…?" Matthew mumbled and turned his head to look out the window. Alfred hesitated for a moment, then replied with a belated "Mhmm." Matthew turned his gaze back to his brother and gave him a quizzical look. That subdued response was a little out of character for the usually boisterous American, even if he _did_ have a cold.

Matthew tilted his head and frowned. "Are you feeling ok, Alfie?" He asked quietly when he noticed how flushed his twin was. "Y-yeh, I'm fine." Alfred stuttered, he then mentally slapped himself for such a weak response. Matthew stared up at him with concern. "Do you have a fever again…?" He asked as he turned his body slightly and leaned in a little to better face his brother. He then lifted his hand and placed it on Alfred's forehead.

Alfred swallowed nervously as his eyes locked with Matthew's. Their faces were so close, he could feel his brother's breath. A soft smile formed on Matthew's lips. "It's not so bad…" He whispered, and then slid his hand up from Alfred's forehead and brushed it into his wheat blonde hair, carefully missing his cowlick. The American felt his brother's hand come to rest at the back of his head. Without saying anything more, Matthew leaned in and pressed his forehead to Alfred's.

"Mattie…?" Alfred asked in a hushed voice. He was confused. This over affectionate side of Matthew had taken him by surprise. _'He must still be half asleep…' _Alfred reasoned to himself as he unconsciously breathed in his brother's scent. Without thinking, Alfred tightened his hold on Matthew's hand, then lifted his other hand and brushed it over his twin's cheek. Matthew squeezed his hand lightly back, in response. A soft smile formed on Alfred's lips as he gently placed his warm hand on Matthew's cheek. He wasn't thinking at all anymore, as he slowly tilted his head and leaned forward, closing the space between their lips. Matthew mimicked his brother as he tangled his fingers in Alfred's hair.

An abrupt tapping on the car window, halted the twin's actions, just as their lips brushed against each other. They both visibly flinched, then turned to look out the window. Francis was standing right outside ogling them with a lecherous smile.

"Maple!" Matthew squeaked as his face turned bright red. He then turned away from the window and hid his face in Alfred's shoulder, utterly embarrassed. Alfred groaned in obvious annoyance as the Frenchman opened their door. "Am I interrupting zomesing?" Francis asked, not even attempting to hide his amusement. "Dude, stop sneaking up on us!" Alfred snapped. He had not wanted to punch someone this badly in a really long time. Expect perhaps for Ivan. But that was a different matter all together.

Francis grinned at the seething American. "And after I went out of my way, just to get you two an umbrella, 'ow ungrateful." He retorted with mock hurt as he handed Alfred an open umbrella, it was undoubtedly Arthur's. Alfred frowned at him but took the offering anyway. "Gee, thanks, _buddy." _He replied sarcastically. "You two should 'urry up and come inzide, we don't want you getting any worse." Francis said seriously as he turned around and walked up the short driveway to the house.

Alfred sighed. "Guess he's got a point there." Matthew cautiously lifted his face from Alfred's shoulder and looked out at the rain. The American chuckled softly as he noticed his brother's flushed face. "Let's go, Mattie." He said as he pulled his twin out of the car with him by his hand and under the protection of the Union Jack, displayed proudly on the umbrella.

**-(VC)-**

Arthur looked up from his book when he heard the door open. Hero looked up as well, from his comfortable place on Arthur's lap, and gave a happy mew in greeting as Francis walked inside and took his wet coat off. "Welcome home." Arthur greeted after a moment of hesitation. He then mentally slapped himself for sounding like such a house wife. "I-I mean, what took you so long?" Arthur tried again, though the damage had already been done. Francis looked over to the Englishman and gave him an arrogant smirk. "I missed you too, mon lapin." He teased. "Shut it, Frog!" Arthur hissed and stood up, completely forgetting about the fluffy Ragamuffin on his lap. Hero ungracefully plopped onto the floor at the Englishman's feet. He laid there for a moment, then rolled back onto his stomach, stood up, stretched, and walked off completely unfazed.

"Why are you shouting…?" Alfred mumbled, as he walked through the door, rubbing his eyes sleepily, while towing Matthew behind him by his hand. The Canadian allowed himself to be led by his brother as he covered his mouth and yawned drowsily. "Sorry, Artie… we lost your umbrella…" Alfred apologized, with a yawn of his own. "What?!" Arthur exclaimed. "'ow did zat 'appen? You were only like zthirty feet from zee 'ous." Francis asked as he raised an eyebrow at them. Alfred shrugged, unconcerned, and kept walking.

"Did you bake, Angleterre?" Francis asked apprehensively as a suspiciously burnt aroma wafted into his delicate nostrils. "_No,_ I didn't bake anything. I slow-cooked some meat porridge." Arthur stated as he gestured over to the kitchen, where a large pot was simmering on the stove. Francis, Matthew, and Alfred all stared over at the pot silently.

"I think I'm going to take a nap…" Alfred said, for once using his brother's tactics, as he eyed the pot warily. "Good idea…" Matthew agreed as they both started off towards Alfred's bedroom. "Wait!" Arthur demanded as he stepped in front of the twins and held his hand out to stop them. The North American brothers stared down at the Englishman, sleepily. "What?" They both asked in unison. "You can't just go lay down like you are! I just washed those sheets, and you're soaking wet again! Not to mention you just came from the hospital, do you know how many germs you probably have on you right now? We can't have either of you getting any worse!" Arthur explained, adamantly. "Now, go take a shower! Then you can have a nap once you're clean."

Arthur was right, and they both knew it, so the teens begrudgingly agreed. "Alright, you win Artie." Alfred chuckled when the green eyed Brit crossed his arms and stared up at them, commandingly. There was really no way to say no to him when he made that face…_unless_ medicine was involved. The Englishman nodded in victory and stepped aside so he wasn't blocking the hallway bathroom. "Good, I'm glad you've finally decided to take this seriously, Alfred." "Yeh…" The American smirked. "Come on Mattie, let's go take a shower." He said as he tugged Matthew's hand for him to follow. The Canadian felt warmth flood into his cheeks again before he could control himself.

Arthur's eye twitched in irritation. "Separately!" He snapped, making them both flinch.

**~(TS)~**

After being forcibly dragged down the hall and shoved into the bathroom, Alfred stood there doubtfully for a moment just behind the door. He then let out a half hearted laugh as he brushed a hand through his damp hair. _'Either Artie's really strong when he's mad, or I'm just really weak right now…'_ He mused to himself as he peeled off his wet hospital shirt. _'I was just joking anyway…wasn't I…?' _

The sudden urge to cough overcame the American, making him lean over the white ceramic sink for support. "I hate this…" He wheezed after his coughing fit died down. Alfred placed his hand over his chest as he tried to take a deep breath. His chest ached horribly and his muscles were soar from coughing.

_'What was I thinking…?' _Alfred stressed as he bit down on his bottom lip in worry. _'I almost kissed Mattie…' _His mind wandered back to the incident and he could still feel the warmth in his stomach. _'What if I had…? What would he have done?' _Alfred sighed then hung his head miserably. _'I probably would have freaked him out…'_

Alfred lifted his head and met his azure eyes in the mirror. He stared at his reflection for a moment then smiled weakly. "You're a mess, _Mr. Superpower_…" He whispered sarcastically. His smile slowly faded into a sad frown, and he turned away from himself and walked towards the shower, while sliding his fingers against the smooth surface of the mirror…

**-(VC)-**

_'Did that really just happen?' _Matthew wondered silently, as he stood under the hot water of the shower. A soft smile appeared as he put a finger to his lips. He thought for sure, Alfred would have simply tried to ignore his odd behavior. In all honesty, he really wasn't sure what had come over him. However, the reaction he had gotten from his brother was so unexpectedly sincere. _'Do you think it's possible that Alfie might like me more then just his twin…?' _Matthew knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but he couldn't help himself, as that same familiar feeling of butterflies tickled his stomach. _'We were so close…' _"Damn it, Papa." Matthew muttered glumly to himself as he thought about giving Francis a _'what for' _the very next chance he got.

Matthew braced himself with his arm when he felt another cough coming. The humidity in the bathroom was probably good for his congestion, though it kept making him cough, and every time he did, his chest would ache and it was painful to take deep breaths. Matthew's muscles and joints were sore, and his ribs hurt from coughing. The teen's body ached all over... but now, it ached in a _different_ way as well. Matthew bit down on his lower lip as he leaned his body against the smooth shower wall.

_'We were so close…' _

**xXx**

**WMD: ****Was that a possible sleep related lack of inhibitions?**

**Don't you just love/hate these kinds of situations? Where you have two characters that really like eachother but neither will say anything, because they don't want to ruin what they already have.**

**I think Francis just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get back at Alfred for all those times he interrupted him and Arthur. Pay backs a bitch huh, Alfie~ lol**

**Orchard of Mines by Globus was on repeat while I was writing this... so no wonder it was toned down.**

**The next chapter is still going to be fluffy but it will be much lighter.**


	11. Step 11 - Use Your Brain!

**Bolum On **

-Chapter Eleven-

**(Turkish)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**Warnings for - Perceptive Bears, Unnecessary Heroics, and a Brand New Set of Problems**

xXx

**Step 11 - Use Your Brain**

"Now hold still, I need to disinfect your cut, before it can be rebandaged." Arthur said calmly as he lifted a bottle of alcohol. Alfred's eyes widened in instant horror and he snatched his arm away from the Englishman and cradled it to his chest. "No way, dude. I washed it already in the shower. It's clean!" Arthur tried to control his temper as he reached out and grabbed Alfred's hand and attempted to pull it back. "That's not good enough." He explained with forced patience. "It's a deep cut and we have to make sure it doesn't get infected." Alfred wasn't budging an inch. Arthur could feel himself loosing his temper and he tightened his grip on the American's hand. "Stop being so childish and let's just get this over with, shall we?" Alfred kept his arm firmly against his chest and shook his head, immaturely.

"Do you want it to fall off!?" Arthur yelled, finally snapping at his ex-colony. "I'll take my chances." Alfred replied warily, not falling for the threat. The Englishman narrowed his emerald eyes.

**-(VC)-**

Matthew sighed as he slipped on one of his hockey jerseys. "If I would have known I was going to be getting wet or having some of my clothes _mysteriously_ disappear on this visit, I would have packed more…" He complained quietly to himself as he zipped his travel bag and pushed it back into the corner.

Making his way to the bed he plopped down on it, carelessly waking his sleeping Polar Bear companion. Kumajiro lifted his furry head and yawned. He then looked over to his favorite person. Matthew sighed as heavily as he could then flopped down on his back to stare up at the ceiling. The small bear frowned at this and padded over to the Canuck.

"What's wrong?" Kumajiro asked as he sat down next to his owner. Without looking at his bear, Matthew answered softly, just above a whisper. "Nothing…" The small polar bear frowned and crossed his arms grumpily. He already knew what was wrong, it happened every time his favorite person and his favorite person's doppelganger got around each other. It starts out fine at first but then his country goes into mope mode after a few days. And the doppelganger is oblivious as always to the actual problem. Kumajiro huffed. He was actually getting tired of eating cookies every time this happened. But that might just be because he cleaned out the fridge while they were away…

"Why don't you just _tell_ him how you feel?" Kumajiro suggested with a shrug of his furry shoulders. Matthew looked up at his bear in shock. "N-no I couldn't!" The teen wasn't that surprised that his fluffy friend had figured out what was bothering him so quickly, but the very idea of telling Alfred _anything_ about his feelings, terrified him. What if he was rejected, outright? What if Alfred started avoiding him? "What if I freak him out…?" Matthew mumbled just above a whisper. Kumajiro stared at his favorite person blankly for a moment, then replied with a simple- "Doubt it." and walked back over to the nest of pillows he had made for himself and curled up, effectively ending the conversation. Matthew titled his head back and watched his polar bear upside down for a few seconds then sighed and stared back up at the ceiling. _'Maybe I should just tell him…' _

A loud clatter came from the kitchen, making Matthew sit up from the bed with a start. "Hold still, you wanker!" That was obviously Arthur… "Nuh! Wait, no, stop! I said it's clean! Seriously Artie, let go!" And that was Alfred. Matthew frowned and stood up. _'What is going on now?' _There was a low _'oof' _and then more shouting. "I've had it up to _here_ with you!" Arthur hissed. "That's just because you can't _go_ any higher." Alfred retorted, sarcastically. "Wait, stop! Don't pull that! Watch where you put your knee! Quit it, Artie! Let go!"

"What the hell…?" Matthew muttered as he opened the bedroom door and made his way down the hall to the kitchen. "Dude, seriously! Don't touch it!" Alfred stressed.

As Matthew came up to the kitchen, he just narrowly missed a glass projectile that hit the wall, face level with him. The cup bounced off the wall and fell to the hardwood floor with a clink but miraculously didn't break. "Stop flailing your arms, you're going to break something!" Arthur snapped as he tried to restrain the American. Matthew recovered from his near accident and bent down to retrieved the glass. "What's going on…?" Matthew asked quietly as he looked over to the two countries.

The Canadian's eye twitched in irritation as he stared at them. They both seemed very unaware of the compromising position they were presently in. The barstools had been tipped over and were now laying on the floor haphazardly, and a bottle of alcohol rolled off the counter as the two nations struggled with each other. Arthur had pushed Alfred's bare back down onto the countertop and had laid his own body over the larger American as he reached his right hand out towards the teen's head. "How dare you call me short!" The Englishman growled as he lifted his leg to stretch his body in order to better reach his target. His knee was now resting awkwardly between the American's legs. Alfred winced. "Hair pulling is immature, Artie! You said so yourself!" He cried out in obvious distress as he held up a protective hand over Nantucket. His injured arm was being barely restrained by the Brit's as it flailed at his side on the counter.

_'Oh I see now.' _Matthew thought as he watched them. _'It's just a little argument.' _He concluded. _'There's nothing questionable going on…' _He reasoned with himself. _'No…they're just fighting as usual…except Alfie's shirtless…and Arthur's being a little too bold for his own good…' _The Canadian analyzed, his thoughts now becoming less reasonable. _'Does Arthur try stuff like this when I'm not around? Does he come over by himself? What do they do when they're alone?' _Matthew found himself glaring again as his thoughts became missiles of discontent to torment him. He clenched the glass tighter in his hand.

"I don't care if I said it before!" Arthur growled as he slapped Alfred's hand away. "Besides, why don't you ever try to tame that stupid piece of hair, you always look messy! No wonder nobody takes you seriously." "Hey!" Alfred gasped, indignantly. He then turned his head just in time to evade another lunge from the Englishman's hand. "Just leave Nantucket alone!" Alfred bit out as he grabbed Arthur's hand. "Why the bloody hell did you name your hair, you stupid prat!?" Arthur yelled as he tried to wrestle his arm free from the American. The Englishman brought his knee a little higher which caused Alfred's grip to loosen on his wrist for a split second. That was just enough time for the Brit to wriggle out of the teen's grasp and lunge yet again for the wayward tuft of wheat blonde hair. In his panic, Alfred easily overpowered Arthur's left hand and reached out with both hands for the Englishman's offending right hand. He caught it just as Arthur's middle finger brushed against Nantucket. Alfred's eyes widened as he released his hold on Arthur and slapped his hands over his mouth in an attempt to suppress the unusual noise fighting to come out. He failed. Arthur looked down at the American in confusion. "What was-" His question was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass.

"Maple!" Matthew exclaimed as he looked down at his hand in shock. Blood trickled down his wrist from the fresh cut he had just received. Glass scattered the floor around him. He hadn't realized he had been squeezing the glass so tightly. Both countries looked over to the Canadian in surprise.

"Mattie, what happened?!" Alfred gasped as he effortlessly pushed the Englishman off of him and rushed over to his brother. "Wait, Alfie." Matthew said as he held his other hand up to halt his twin. "You'll cut your feet…" Alfred looked down at the floor, little bits of glass were spread around Matthew. The American frowned and looked back to the Canadian, who was holding his injured hand to himself, carefully. The sleeve of his jersey was slowly becoming stained.

"Don't move, Mattie." Alfred ordered in a serious tone. Without anymore delay, he walked through the glass and over to his brother, while ignoring the other's protests. Matthew winced when he saw Alfred wince. "I _told_ you not to come over here. Now you've hurt yourself…" Alfred laughed humorlessly at that, he then scooped Matthew off of his feet and into his arms, causing the Canadian's face to flush. "As long as you don't cut _your_ feet, I'm ok with that." Alfred reassured with a bright smile.

Alfred set Matthew down on the counter as Arthur brushed past them with a broom and dustpan. "What happened?" Alfred asked concerned, as he rolled up his brother's wet sleeve to look at the injury. It was just a small cut on his palm, though it looked deep and was still bleeding. "I don't know…" Matthew mumbled and turned his head so he wasn't looking at Alfred. _'Why's he being so chivalrous?' _He wondered as he felt his brother cradle his injured hand. _'Oh right, it's because he's Al. He would do that for anyone…' _Matthew turned his gaze down to the floor, sulkily. A few bloody smudges on the hardwood caught his attention. "Al-" He started but was instantly interrupted by Arthur's louder and more assertive voice. "Alfred, did you cut yourself, too?" Alfred looked over to the Englishman and shrugged. "Don't worry about it." Arthur glared fully at the American. He then took the dustpan full of glass and the broom to the side room connected to the kitchen and came back empty handed. Walking back into the kitchen, Arthur tipped the barstools back up and retrieved the alcohol from the floor. "Sit down." He demanded, crossly.

"No w-" Alfred started his predictable protest but was cut off as he doubled over in a new coughing fit. All of his senseless yelling had finally caught up with him. Matthew slid off the counter and bent over next to his brother, while patting him on the back with his free hand. "Come on, Alfie. Get off your foot." Matthew urged as he tugged his twin over and sat him down on a stool. "That's it." Alfred wheezed once he stopped coughing. "I'm boycotting this cold till it goes away…" The Canadian smirked and sat down next to him on the other stool. "Genius, Al." Arthur clunked the alcohol bottle on the counter noisily, startling the two younger nations. "You two should take this more seriously. You both have Pneumonia. That's not some normal cold you can just laugh at." Both teens looked over at the Englishman and tilted their heads. "Pneumonia?" They asked in unison. Arthur gaped at them. "Nobody told you?!" They shook their heads in reply. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised…that hospital was a loony bin anyway." Arthur rubbed his temples in irritation.

A smirk slowly spread across Alfred's face as he thought of something. "Hey, _Artie_." The American started, obnoxiously. "You just assaulted someone with _Pneumonia_. You should be ashamed." He teased. Arthur's eye twitched in annoyance. He then snatched up the alcohol. "That reminds me, hold out your arm." That wiped the smirk right off Alfred's face, and he instantly turned his arm away protectively. Matthew sighed and then laughed lightly as he turned his chair towards his brother. "Hey Alfie, let's make a game out of this." He started as he held out his injured hand. Alfred looked over to Matthew, giving him his full attention. "Whoever shows weakness first, looses." The Canadian smirked confidently. "You're on." Alfred complied, mimicking his twin's expression. _'You're so easy, Alfie.' _Matthew mused silently to himself. _'You're so going to loose, Mattie.' _Alfred thought as he grinned. _'How the bloody hell does Matthew always know what to say to that tosser, to get him to agree to things so quickly?' _Arthur grumbled inside his head as he brought out another glass and poured some alcohol into it.

"Ready, Al?" Matthew asked with a smirk. "Are _you _ready, Mattie?" Alfred retorted with an identical smirk. Arthur rolled his eyes at them. He then lifted a glass of alcohol over Matthew's injured hand and Alfred's injured arm. "3. 2. _And_ 1." He counted down for dramatic effect and then poured the liquid. Upon contact they _both_ instantly screamed out in pain like little children. Now Arthur wasn't really a sadistic person, but having the power to reduce them to this state gave him a great sense of satisfaction. Probably because he was tired of their nonsense and this felt like a bit of well deserved pay back. "I win." Arthur smirked as he claimed victory. They both looked up at him with tears in their eyes. "But you weren't even a part of this…" Alfred whined, pathetically.

Once Arthur had cleaned and bandaged both Matthew's hand and Alfred's arm, he bent down to look at the American's injured foot. Arthur frowned and then released a tired sigh. "You've got glass stuck in your foot." He stated as he stood back up and went to the first aid kit to dig around for some tweezers. "Great…" Alfred breathed as his shoulders slumped slightly. Matthew looked away and started chewing on his lip. _'This is my fault.'_ He stressed. _'If I hadn't broken that glass, Alfie wouldn't have hurt himself…'_

Alfred looked over to his brother and smiled softly. "Don't worry Mattie, it's not your fault." He reassured, but received no reply from his twin, making him frown slightly. He smiled again as he lifted his hand and reached over to brush the honey blonde hair out of Matthew's face. He then poked him gently in the cheek with his finger. "Mattie~ Stop worrying." A faint blush spread across Matthew's cheeks and he turned back to look at his brother. Getting the reaction he wanted, Alfred smiled brightly at the Canadian, making him blush even more.

"Now hold still, Alfred. This will hurt a lot less if you don't move." Arthur directed as he lifted the American's foot, to better access the shard of glass. Alfred turned back to the Englishman and bit his bottom lip nervously. He then felt Matthew's fingers lace into his, a comforting gesture, making him look up in surprise. Matthew gave him a small smile. Alfred's attempt to return the gesture was interrupted as Arthur started trying to pull the glass shard out, making the teen cringe in pain.

Alfred probably would have broken just about anyone else's hand by how hard he was squeezing, but Matthew seemed unaffected as he sat calmly and waited for Arthur to finish. At least it wasn't his _injured_ hand. "Dear lord, how did you walk even a _step_ with this in your foot?" Arthur exclaimed as he finally extracted a large sharp piece of glass. Alfred and Matthew both stared at the dubious shard of glass, silently. "I _told_ you not to walk through the glass, Al!" Matthew whisper-shouted at his brother, frustrated. He was now cursing himself even more for breaking the glass. Alfred chuckled weakly. "If I had a do-over, you know I'd do it again, Mattie. I'm just glad it wasn't in _your_ foot." Matthew blushed again, this was becoming a bad habit, and he couldn't help it. Arthur rolled his eyes at Alfred's ridiculous tendency for heroics. "_Or_, you could have just waited patiently for say, _three minutes_, while I cleaned up the glass." Arthur suggested, logically. "Mattie could have bled to death in that time, I had to save him!" Matthew smirked and turned his head to hide a laugh. "He would not have, you overdramatic idiot!" Arthur snapped in exasperation. He then grabbed the American's foot roughly and poured the alcohol over it, before the teen could resist. Alfred shrieked in shock as the horrible stinging pain invaded the fresh wound in his foot.

Matthew looked back at his twin and gave him a soft sympathetic smile. The American had his eyes squeezed shut as he winced in pain. Without thinking he reached over with his free hand and placed it on Alfred's cheek, he then leaned over and planted a small kiss on his other cheek. Alfred's azure eyes snapped open and he instantly blushed. "Thanks for being my hero, eh?" Matthew chuckled as he removed his hand and sat back on the barstool. Completely forgetting about his pain, Alfred beamed at his twin. "Always."

Arthur quirked an eyebrow at the two as he unrolled a new bandage. _'Those two have an odd relationship. Dare I say it's questionable…' _For the first time, Arthur felt a pang of resentment towards his Canadian ex-colony. Maybe it wasn't the first time… But now the Englishman was seeing the person before him, the usually peaceful and passive, shy boy, not just as Alfred's brother, but as a potential rival. Arthur frowned as he wrapped the American's foot. _'That doesn't make sense… They're brothers…' _The words that Matthew had spoken to him yesterday floated back to him. _'Alfie's always been mine.' _Arthur was now understanding the true depth of those words. He glanced up and caught sight of their clasped hands. _'This is so wrong. They're brothers! Sure I call Alfred my brother, but I know that's not really the case. This is a different matter altogether. I wonder if Alfred even knows Matthew is in love with him? With that hamburger brain of his, I doubt it. Why, he doesn't even seem to realize that I- ...never mind that. This thing between them can't go on. I thought I warned them sufficiently when they were colonies. Perhaps I was scolding the wrong one…' _

_'What can I possibly do to stop this….?'_

**xXx**

**WMD: Oh no! Arthur's caught on!**

**What do you think Arthur's going to do? Could he possibly be a real threat?**

**Thank you to everyone who reads my story, even if you don't leave a review, I still appreciate your views! **

**Though I always love feedback XD **


	12. Step 12 - Stay Home

**Kefalaio Dodeka **

-Chapter Twelve-

**(Greek)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Fluffy Stowaways, Misunderstandings, and a Clever Francis~**

xXx

**Step 12 - Stay Home**

"This was almost my last clean shirt." Matthew whined as he lifted his hockey jersey over his head and pulled it off. Alfred, now in his favorite black and gold hoodie, said nothing as he watched his brother, from where he sat at the end of the bed. Not only did his body hurt all over but he felt completely worn out. All he really wanted to do was go to sleep.

Kumajiro padded over and sat down next to him at the end of the bed. Alfred looked over at the bear after he finished a long drawn out yawn. "Hey, Bear Dude, what's up?" He asked as he lifted the small polar bear up and set him down on his lap, lazily. Kumajiro huffed and tilted his head up to glare at the American. "Who are _you_?" The bear asked, purely out of spite over the annoying nickname. Alfred pouted at being unrecognized. "I'm _Kumajiro_, the forgetful polar bear, I like cookies and maple syrup." He replied sarcastically. Kumajiro huffed again, then crossed his furry arms and went into pout mode as well.

Matthew looked over at the two of them and laughed. Alfred had his arms wrapped around the small polar bear with his chin resting on Kumajiro's head, much to the little bear's displeasure. They both had the same grumpy expression as they stared back at him. _'I wish I had a camera.' _Matthew thought to himself in amusement. _'That is just too cute. Those two always know how to push each other's buttons.' _He then turned and walked back over to his travel bag next to Alfred's closet. He set his dirty jersey down then crouched beside his bag.

"Maple!" Matthew exclaimed, clearly startled when clear blue eyes stared up at him from inside his bag. He fell back on his butt from the surprise. Hero perked his ear's at the familiar name and mewed happily.

"You ok, Mattie?" Alfred asked as he hid a small smirk from behind Kumajiro's furry head. "Your cat got into my bag again!" Matthew whisper-shouted in accusation. Alfred looked over and sure enough, Hero was curled up comfortably inside his brother's travel bag. "He must really want to visit Maple." Alfred joked with a quiet laugh. Matthew clambered back into a crouching position beside his bag, then sighed as he reached over and lifted the fluffy white Ragamuffin off of his belongings. He then stood back up and held the cat out to give him a discerning look. "I thought I zipped that bag, how did you manage to get into my stuff _again." _Hero purred loudly in response as he stared back at the Canadian with his blue eyes. Matthew groaned and hung his head in defeat.

After setting the cat on the floor, Matthew knelt down and rummaged around in his bag for his last clean shirt. He whimpered pathetically when he pulled out the furry article of clothing. Hero brushed past the Canadian and calmly sat down next to the travel bag, he then rubbed his fluffy face against the material, affectionately and purred. Matthew lowered the shirt into his lap and pouted at the oblivious Ragamuffin.

"It's not a big deal, Mattie, just wear one of my shirts." Alfred offered with a sympathetic smile. Matthew looked over at him, shyly. "You don't mind?" Alfred raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in confusion. "Why would I mind? I'll always share with you, Mattie. Besides-" He smirked. "I stole _your_ clothes the other day, so I should at least return the favor." The image of his devastated travel bag resurfaced in Matthew's mind, making him frown. "About that, you didn't have to trash my stuff the other day, Al!" He whisper-shouted with newfound annoyance. Alfred chuckled as he gently set Kumajiro back down on the bed and stood up, he then limped over to his closet. "Sorry about that." He apologized sincerely as he sifted through his freshly washed clothes, courtesy of Matthew himself, and tugged a shirt off one of the hangers. It was a light blue long sleeved shirt with a small yellow star on the upper left side. "Here, Mattie." Alfred said as he offered the shirt to his twin with a bright smile. "You can wear this, till your clothes are clean." Matthew blushed lightly as he accepted the offering. "Thanks, Al…"

Hero stared up at the two of them and swished him tail. He was being ignored again. That wouldn't do. With one last flick of his super fluffy tail he got up and rubbed his body against Alfred's jeans and purred. The American looked down and smirked at his cat.

The next 6 seconds went by in a blur. Alfred, forgetting about his injured foot, attempted to take a step back in order to pick the fluffy Ragamuffin up, in doing so, lost his balance. Matthew, with his quick reflexes, reached out and grabbed the front of his brother's hoodie and pulled him back, causing the American to knock against his chest, in turn throwing Matthew off balance. In an attempt to reclaimed his lost equilibrium, the Canadian took a step backwards, but due to a small, innocently placed polar bear now sitting right behind him, both countries ended up sprawled out on the floor.

"Maple…" Matthew whimpered from underneath his brother. Hero's ears perked at his favorite word and he sat down next to the Canadian and over-affectionately headbutted him in the cheek. "Dude, Mattie… I think the animals are out to get us…" Alfred wheezed as he weakly lifted himself from his half clothed twin. "No…you're just clumsy." Matthew replied after attempting to take a deep breath. "Say's the person who tripped over his own bear." Alfred breathed as he supported himself over his brother. Matthew didn't reply to that, instead he chose to simply stare up at the other, with his unique violet eyes.

"What was that noise? Are you two alright?" Arthur asked as he pushed the bedroom door open to check on the twins. Everyone went silent…except for Hero who swaggered confidently out of the room, purring loudly.

Arthur's eye twitched as he stared at his ex-colonies. They were in a _most_ compromising position.

Alfred sat back on his knees and beamed at the Englishman. "Hey Artie, you need something?" He asked, once again completely misreading the atmosphere. Matthew felt embarrassed for both of them now, as he felt his cheeks getting hot from the tense weight in the air. _'Alfie, you big dummy…' _

Arthur took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "Actually, there is something. I need to go to the pharmacy to pick up your antibiotics and I'd like for _you _to accompany me. I think we need to have a talk." Alfred tilted his head and frowned. "Can't you just talk to me here?" Arthur narrowed his emerald eyes and flicked them over to Matthew for a second then back to Alfred. "No, I'd like to speak to you _alone_. So get what you need and come on, we're leaving in five minutes." Alfred's face turned into a pout. "But I don't want to go. I was out _all day_ yesterday. _Come on_ Artie, just let me relax a bit."

Like a violin string, you could almost hear the snap in Arthur's mind, as he briskly walked over to the American and glowered down at him. "Stop being so disagreeable!" He seethed as he grabbed Alfred's hand and yanked the taller country up. "I said I needed to speak with you about something, so do you the courteous thing and listen!" "Whoa! Ok, ok." Alfred unhappily complied to the older country's demands. He then winced as the throbbing pain awoke in his arm yet again.

"Be careful, Arthur!" Matthew whisper-shouted as he pushed himself back into a sitting position and glared at the careless Brit. Arthur ignored the Canadian entirely as he pulled Alfred out of the room. "Slow down, Artie!" Alfred stressed as he limped after the irate former British Empire. "Arthur!" Matthew cried out angrily. _'What has gotten into him?' _He wondered in bewilderment as he pushed his feet underneath him and stood up. He then quickly bent down and snatched the borrowed shirt off the ground, slipped into it, then rushed after them. Kumajiro stayed put where he was, he hated all of the yelling. But after a small debate inside his head, he finally decided to follow after them as well.

Matthew couldn't help but be reminded of that time so long ago, when they were colonies. This seemed so familiar, and it made him very nervous. _'What does he want to talk to Alfie about?' _He unconsciously started chewing on his bottom lip as he followed them into the living room.

"Get what you need, Alfred. Then we can leave." Arthur said as he finally released his ex-colony's hand and walked over to get his coat. The American sighed loudly but said nothing as he limped over to the coffee table and grabbed his iPhone, that's all he really needed. His eyes wandered over the table and he spotted something else of interest. With a small smile he grabbed that as well, and tucked them both away in the pockets of his hoodie to keep them from getting wet from the steady rain that was still coming down outside.

"Are you ready?" Arthur asked and glanced back at the American. "Yeh…" Alfred replied with a yawn as he turned to the front door. Arthur nodded and put his hand of the doorknob.

"Wait!" Matthew demanded semi-loudly, causing the two countries to look back at him. "Arthur, don't you dare loose my brother again." Matthew warned as he gave the Englishman a serious look. Arthur glared indignantly back at the teen and opened his mouth to retort. "I sa-" "And Al." Matthew continued, as he actually interrupted Arthur for the first time ever, it seemed. "Just stay in the car, and don't run off again." Alfred lifted his eyebrows in surprise and then smirked at his twin. "Stop worrying so much, Mattie." He laughed, which earned him a pout from the Canadian. "Besides." He shrugged. "I couldn't run off, even if I wanted to. You sorta crippled me a little while ago, remember?" He reminded as he pointed to his injured foot. "You did it to yourself…" Matthew mumbled as he looked away with a light blush, which earned him a chuckle from the other teen. Alfred then reached over and ruffled his brother's wavy hair, carefully missing his curl. "This won't take that long, it's not like we're going to be gone all day." "Quite right." Arthur agreed. "And if we can actually get _out_ the door we might be back sooner." With that he took Alfred's hand again and tugged him to follow. The American sighed then gave Matthew a sympathetic smile and waved. "Be back later, Mattie."

**~(TS)~**

Francis cracked open the guest bedroom door and peered out sleepily. "Only two 'ours…zey couldn't be quiet for more zen two 'ours? _I_ waz up all night _too_." He whined and then opened the door wider to allow himself to stagger into the hallway. A note fluttered to the floor at his feet. Francis stared down at the mystery note for a long moment, then finally willed himself to bend down and pick it up. "What iz zis…?" He mumbled as he checked it. There was a yellow sticky note stuck to the front. **"Read both sides!" **It said in big bold letters. Francis quirked an eyebrow as he unstuck that note and read the main message. This had obviously been written by Arthur. Francis smirked. No other person would make a simple note look as if it had been written by the queen herself, but appear so messy it might have been scrawled out while at sea during a heavy storm. He had seen Arthur's log books before and could attest to that.

He quickly skimmed through the note and then flipped it over. Francis failed to hold back a snort as he read the final bit of the message.

**"Don't you dare toss out my food, Frog!"**

"Oh, Arthur, you know me too well." Francis sarcastically said as he made his way down the hall.

When he reached the kitchen, he was met with the downcast stare of an upset Canadian. Matthew was sitting on a barstool looking forlorn, alongside him on the other barstool, Kumajiro was also sitting with an unhappy expression.

"What iz bozzering you, mon cher?" Francis asked, concerned as he entered the kitchen and walked over to his ex-colony. Matthew looked away then sighed, dejectedly. "Arthur was acting really strange, like he was mad at us, then he took Alfie with him to the pharmacy so he could talk to him about something…" Francis frowned and looked out the window at the rain. He then cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Why would 'e take Alfred out in zis whezzer _again_? What could be zo important?" Matthew shrugged silently as he turned the top of the barstool back and forth out of bordom and stress. "Well…zere iz no use in worrying about it now. 'e went to pick up your antibiotics, oui?" Francis asked as he approached the ominously simmering pot atop the stove. "That's what he said…" Matthew replied, glumly. "You are going to 'ave to eat zomesing wiz zat." He casually stated as he lifted the lid off the pot and cringed. It was supposed to be "meat porridge" right? But for some strange reason the substance inside the pot donned a purple hue and smelled of fish… Francis clunked the lid back onto the pot hastily, and turned away repulsed.

"I'm not hungry…" Matthew replied as he stared out of the window. "Mathieu, 'ow long 'as it been zince you 'ave eaten anysing?" Francis questioned, seriously as he crossed his arms. The Canadian went silent and thought back. "A little over 3 days, if you don't count the ice cream." He answered honestly. Francis sighed and shook his head. "You two are going to wizzer away if you don't eat zomesing… 'owever I sink if you were to eat zat-" He nodded over to the pot. "-you might die." Matthew didn't reply.

Francis smirked at the gloomy Canadian and walked over to him. "Mon petit Mathieu." He started as he impulsively reached out and tidied the teen's tousled hair. "You won't get better if you don't take care of yourself." Matthew continued to ignore him, making Francis sigh yet again. _'Fine, I didn't want to use zis…' _He thought as he stared down at his ex-colony.

"You realize-" Francis started with a hint of humor in his expression. "Zat when Arthur comes back, 'e iz going to zerve you both whatever 'e 'as made in zat pot, and while _you_ might be able to get out of it, votre cher Alfred _won't_." As expected, Matthew instantly turned his gaze upward to meet Francis, a newfound worry written across his face. The Frenchman smirked internally and decided to sell it a bit further. "Oui, 'e will most likely be zick for zee rest of zee day, we might even 'ave to take 'im back to zee 'ospital! 'e could be on 'iz deathbed by nightfall, if 'e eats zat food." He stressed as he shook his head dramatically.

Matthew unconsciously bit his bottom lip. He knew Francis was exaggerating a bit, but he _was_ right about two things. Alfred _would_ eat the food if Arthur pushed hard enough and he _would_ be sick afterwards, it wouldn't be the first time either…

The Canadian slowly looked over to the pot of simmering poison and his stomach turned a little. "Papa." Matthew started, bringing the Frenchman's attention to him. "If Arthur asks… The cat did it."

Francis beamed with pride as he watched his ex-colony dispose of the horrible gruel down the drain. _'Zat's my boy, Papa's taught you zo well.' _He thought creepily in his head as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Well, zat zolves one problem." Francis said as he sat down on the now unoccupied barstool. "But you ztill 'ave to eat zomesing wiz your medicine." Matthew stayed quiet but listened as he washed the pot for the second time, just for safe measures. "Ah, 'ow about zis Mathieu." The Frenchman said as an idea came to him. Matthew looked over his shoulder doubtfully, but humored the European. "What's that, eh?" "Well-" Francis started, casually. "Arthur went grocery shopping zis morning, I'm zure 'e got more zen 'e could use, 'e always does zat… I bet if you looked around you could find zee ingredients to make zomesing you and Alfred bosth like. Zat way it will be _your_ choice what you eat, instead of eizzer of us pushing food at you." Francis shrugged. "Bezides, I'm zure whatever you make, Alfred will be 'appy to 'ave zome. 'e always loves your cooking."

A soft smile lit up Matthew's face when Francis finished speaking, and he nodded. "Thanks, Papa. I think I'll do that." The Frenchman smiled back. "Good. While you're doing zat, I zink I'll be on zee couch. It's pointless trying to take a nap wiz soze two coming back in a little while." Matthew quietly laughed at that. "Sorry we woke you up before, Papa." Francis shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the kitchen. "C'est la vie…"

Francis sat down on the comfortable black couch and flicked the TV on. He really wasn't interested in watching anything, he just needed something to occupy his mind. Troubling thoughts were bothering him at the moment. _'I wonder if Arthur 'as finally caught on, to 'ow soze two really feel about eachozzer… If 'e 'as zen it's no wonder 'e iz upset.'_

_'What will you do Arthur?' _Francis wondered to himself. A pang of sympathy came over him when he thought of what Arthur might be saying to Alfred about the matter.

**xXx**

**WMD: This chapter got me down :( **

**I'll make the next chapter lighter :)**

**I wonder what Arthur's going to say to Alfred?**

**Remember to leave me a review lol **

**I really do love them after all!**


	13. Step 13 - Patience

**Luku Kolmetoista**

-Chapter Thirteen-

**(Finnish)**

**This is an early chapter in response to Sundepender's review! **

**You owe me so many cookies! omnomnomnom~**

**XD**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Illusions of Victory, Make-up Candy, and KumaTrolling**

xXx

**Step 13 - Patience**

They had been driving in silence for a good five minutes before Arthur finally decided on how he wanted to approach the matter. He cautiously glanced over at Alfred, the teen had his head down and was staring at his hands, seemingly lost in thought. Arthur took in a deep breath and started.

"Alfred." Arthur began in a sharp tone to get the American's attention. Alfred looked over at the Brit and smiled, then looked back down at his hands without saying a word. Arthur frowned, then internally sighed as he continued. He always hated ruining his ex-colony's pleasant mood. That is, when he wasn't being obnoxious, of course. "I wanted to talk to you about your relationship with your brother." Arthur finally said in a softer voice so as not to aggravate the issue. Alfred nodded a few times but didn't reply.

Not getting the reaction he was expecting, Arthur went silent for a few seconds. He felt slightly unnerved now, as he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel nervously. "W-well, what I mean to say is, I think you have both taken it a bit too far… I mean it was fine when you were colonies…to an extent. But now it's completely unacceptable. Even if you are twins, there is a line that you just don't cross. Do you understand?" Arthur glanced over at Alfred, to see his reaction. He sighed when he noticed the 'kicked puppy' look that was so recognizable on his ex-colony's face. "Alfred." Arthur said sharply, getting the teen to look at him again. Alfred lifted his head and stared over at Arthur, with a sad expression, he may or may not have had tears in his eyes. "Do you understand?" Arthur asked, forcing himself not to waver because of the hurt look he was receiving. "Mhm…" The teen mumbled, then looked back down to his hands, dejectedly.

Arthur let out a long sigh then gripped the steering wheel a bit more confidently. "Well, good. Now that you understand, I think it would be best if you started acting properly around Matthew from now on. That _includes_ your odd sleeping habits. Now don't you worry, I'll have a chat with your brother about this also, so he understands as well." Alfred didn't respond to this, but Arthur decided not to push any further. He had gotten what he wanted to say out and he was pleased that the American was so agreeable on the matter.

The rest of the car ride to the pharmacy went by in silence. When Arthur pulled into the parking lot and parked, he took the opportunity to look over at Alfred, directly. The teen was leaning against the window, asleep. The Englishman gave him a sad smile and brushed some on his wheat blonde hair out of his face. _'I should get him something to make him feel better. It's the least I can do.'_

**_-What really happened-_**

_'Man, why the crap is Artie so freaking grumpy right now?!' _Alfred grumbled inside his head as he pulled the seat belt over and buckled himself into the passenger's side. _'I don't want to go anywhere…' _He whined childishly to himself as he glared out at the rain. It had been hard to rush to the car with an injured foot and now he was wet all over again, but he wasn't soaked, so that was good. Alfred laid his head back against the head rest and coughed, unenthusiastically as he waited for Arthur to buckle up.

_'Why does he always get so bossy when he comes over? Seriously…this is my house …right?' _Alfred sighed and dug around in his pocket. _'This is exactly why I didn't want Mattie to call him over… I can't handle this right now.' _The teen let out a loud yawn and pulled his hood up. He then unwound something in his hands.

Arthur stayed in brooding silence as he started the car and pulled out onto the road. Alfred looked over to him and frowned. _'I wonder if he'll ever stop treating me like his colony?' _He smirked as he covertly slipped something into his ears. _'Doubt it.' _

Five minutes later, Alfred was quietly entertaining himself by flipping through the songs in his brother's iPod. _'Why does Mattie have all these depressing songs…' _A few of them were about someone feeling invisible or unimportant or unwanted. Alfred sighed as he stared thoughtfully down at the device in his hands. _'I notice you, Mattie…' _One of the songs, he saw was obviously one of Matthew's favorites, by the number of times he had listened to it. Curiosity piqued, Alfred selected it. He had never heard this song before. "Alfred." Arthur called. The American almost missed it as he listened to the song. The teen looked over and smiled at the European, then looked back at the iPod screen. He didn't really want to listen to whatever the Englishman had to say, besides he was kind of getting into this song, as he nodded his head to the beat.

The song was about someone who was madly in love with another, but felt that the whole world was against them from the very beginning. The person wished with all his heart that his beloved would finally accept their feelings and ignore the cruel disapproval of everyone around them. This song hit home with Alfred, as he became fully absorbed in the lyrics. _'I wonder if Mattie will ever love me like that… Maybe I should just tell him how I really feel… But what if he completely rejects me! We might loose the relationship we already have…' _"Alfred." Arthur called out again. The teen sadly looked up at Arthur, he felt totally depressed now, with all of his hopeless thoughts. "Mhm…" Was all he could think to say and then stared darkly down at the device again.

To his surprise the song ended on a happy note a few minutes later, with the two finally running away with each other. _'No wonder Mattie likes this song, I like it too…' _Alfred smiled and leaned his head against the window. He wasn't as sad anymore. For some reason, he felt hopeful and warm inside. As the next song started playing he only vaguely listened in as his mind began to wander.

**~(TS)~**

The slamming of the driver's side door, startled the American out of his short nap. Alfred slowly opened his azure eyes and slid them over to Arthur, who was buckling himself in again. _'When did I fall asleep…?' _He wondered as he sat up slowly and gave Arthur a half asleep stare.

"I'm sorry lad, did I wake you?" The Englishman asked and gave the teen a sympathetic smile. Alfred didn't reply immediately, as a large yawn came over him and he stretched his aching body as much as he could inside the small car. "Can we go home now…?" He asked sleepily. Arthur nodded and started the engine. _'He must still be upset… well… it had to be done.' _"Oh." The Brit said as he remembered something. "Here Alfred, I got you this at the register." The American looked over with interest as he watched Arthur dig through the small bag he had acquired from the pharmacy. Alfred's eyes lit up when he spotted a blue lollipop in the Englishman's hand.

"I hope you're not too upset about the talk we had earlier." Arthur said as he handed the candy over to his former colony. "Oh man, Awesome! Thanks, Artie!" Alfred cheered excitedly as he accepted the sugary offering. Arthur quirked an eyebrow at him, then smiled. _'He sure is resilient, I would've thought he might still be depressed, but it seems he has already put it behind him.' _He thought to himself, lightly, as he put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. _'Now if only Matthew can be this understanding, this issue will be properly resolved.' _

_'I'm glad Artie's not mad anymore. I wonder what was up?' _Alfred thought as he unwrapped the blue lollipop. _'Ah, Hell, who cares!' _He decided as he popped the treat into his mouth. _'Dude! If being mature meant I couldn't have candy anymore, then I don't ever want to grow up!'_ He silently exclaimed in blissful ignorance as his taste buds rejoiced from the sweetness. Alfred then pressed his brother's favorite song in again and leaned back against the seat to watch the rain.

**~(TS)~**

"Mattie, we're home~" Alfred called, when he and Arthur came through the front door. He was wet again, but just barely, since the rain seemed to be lessening now. Arthur, ever prepared for rain, casually took his coat off and hung it on the coat rack just inside the door. The house had a warm feel to it for some reason, and a pleasant aroma wafted through the air. As if on cue, Alfred's stomach growled in anticipation. _'Oh wow, that smells really good… How long has it been since I've eaten an actual meal? Days?'_ He rolled the lollipop around in his mouth and walked over to the coffee table to return the iPod from where he had found it. Francis was asleep on the couch, with a soccer game playing on the TV. Alfred ignored him as he left his iPhone on the coffee table as well, then started towards the kitchen.

Before he even made it half way, Matthew appeared from the kitchen's entranceway and smiled happily at him. "Welcome home, Alfie." Alfred stopped dead in his tracks and gawked at his twin. Matthew was wearing the apron that Alfred always kept in the kitchen for whenever he felt inspired to cook something. It was just a simple navy blue apron with a large white star on the front, but he couldn't help but think that Matthew looked undeniably adorable in it.

Matthew titled his head and frowned slightly. "Why are you looking at me like that…?" He asked, now feeling self conscious. Alfred recovered as he took the lollipop out of his mouth and gave his brother a wide grin. "That looks really cute on you, Mattie~" He said in a teasing way, though he really meant it. Matthew looked down at himself and blushed brightly. He had completely forgotten he was wearing the apron. _'How embarrassing…' _The Canadian hung his head and slipped back into the kitchen quickly. Alfred smirked and popped the lollipop back into his mouth. He then inwardly laughed as he followed his brother into the kitchen. Matthew's shyness was just another thing Alfred loved about him.

As the American entered the kitchen he saw his brother trying to untie the red apron strings tied securely around his waist. He lifted an eyebrow and held back another laugh. "Need some help, Mattie?" Matthew gave him a quick glance then looked away again. "Ah, no I got it…" He mumbled and continued with his attempt. Alfred nodded silently and leaned against the doorframe as he watched.

1 minute and 18 seconds later…

Matthew groaned and hung his head in defeat. He then turned his face upward to meet his brother's, and flushed even more. "Can you help me out…?" Alfred gave him a genuine smile and nodded. "Sure thing, bro." He then bent over and started pulling at the strings, himself. "Why'd you triple tie it?" He asked as he continued to loosen the knots. Matthew sighed and glared over at the _'innocent' _Frenchman watching a soccer game in the living room. "I didn't…"

Once the strings were untied, Matthew quickly pulled the apron off and folded it in his hands. "Thank you." He said quietly and laid the apron on the counter where the coffee maker used to be. "No prob, so uh… did you cook something?" Matthew turned to look at his twin, thoughtfully. As if on cue yet again, Alfred's stomach growled loudly in response. The American rubbed the back of his head and gave his brother a sheepish grin. "It smells yummy…"

Matthew felt his cheeks heat up again and he gave Alfred a shy smile in return and nodded. "Yeh, I made some soup." He informed as he turned and walked back over to the stove where a large pot was slowly simmering. After picking up a wooden spoon, Matthew gave the soup a few stirs to make sure everything was cooking evenly. The Canadian sighed as he felt a weight rest upon his shoulder. "Is it done yet?" Alfred asked as he leaned against his brother's back to peek at the contents of the pot. Matthew gave him a side long glance and then rolled his eyes. "Not yet, and watching it, isn't going to make it cook any faster, Alfie."

Alfred ignored his brother as he continued to watch the soup simmer. _'Aw man, that looks really good. When's it going to be done? …I want some…' _"If you start drooling on me, I'll kick you out of the kitchen." Matthew warned as he observed his brother's zoned out expression. Alfred snapped himself out of it and gave his twin a side long glance. He then rolled the lollipop over to the other side of his mouth with his tongue and grinned. "You're no fun, Mattie." He breathed, then pulled away.

A sweet smell lingered after the American, making Matthew frown. _'Where did he get that…?'_ He wasn't jealous, no. After giving the soup one last stir, Matthew set the wooden spoon aside and turned to face his brother, who was now idely sitting on a barstool, licking his lollipop. The Canadian unconsciously swallowed as he reeled his mind back from where it had temporarily wandered.

"So, Al…what did Arthur want to talk to you about?" Matthew asked as he walked over to stand before his twin. "Huh?" Alfred replied as his attention was taken away from his sugary treat. "Oh, I dunno. I wasn't really paying attention. But Artie got me _this_ afterwards, so I guess he's in a better mood now." He finished as he waved the blue lollipop in front of Matthew, teasingly.

Matthew followed the confection back and forth with his eyes, and frowned. _'Trying to apologize with candy? That's just weak, Arthur.' _He was still upset with the Englishman for being so rough with his brother before. Matthew inwardly sighed. _'Alfie's probably already forgiven him…'_

"You're such a child." Matthew whined as he began to glare at the lollipop. Alfred smirked, getting the reaction he wanted. "You're just _jealous~_" He teased in a sing song voice. "I am not." Matthew pouted. The American grinned at the look on his twin's face. He then put the lollipop stick between his fingers and set his hand on the round barstool seat in order to lean forward. With his other hand, he pointed to his mouth. "Hey, Mattie~ Is my tongue blue yet?" He asked obnoxiously as he showed his tongue to his brother.

It was indeed blue, and Matthew couldn't help but stare as a single thought popped into his head. _'I wonder if Alfie tastes sweet right now…' _He desperately tried to banish those kinds of thoughts from his head as he felt his cheeks heating up again. "Yes, it's blue, now would you stop that?" He finally replied. Alfred stuck his tongue back in his mouth and smiled brightly. "Whatever you want, bro." He laughed.

The American's jubilance was cut short when he felt his beloved lollipop being jerked from his hand. He looked down to wear it should have been then titled his head upward to meet dark brown eyes. Kumajiro stared blankly back at the American as he chewed on the sugary treat on a stick. Alfred was left speechless. Matthew tried his hardest to cover with his hands, a growing laugh that begged to come out. In the end he lost. "Serves you right for taunting me, Alfie." Matthew laughed as he enjoyed the look on his twin's face. Alfred instantly pouted. "Not cool, Bear Dude." Kumajiro ignored him as he crunched down on the lollipop, effectively crumbling it inside his mouth. A moment later he stuck his blue tongue out at Alfred, to taunt his favorite person's doppelgangar.

"How is everything going in here?" Arthur asked as he popped his head into the kitchen to check up on the twins. Matthew frowned at the unexpected presence of the Englishman, whereas Alfred looked over at Arthur with his _'kicked puppy look' _turned onto max. Oblivious to the actual issue, Arthur nodded in _'understanding'_ and gave Alfred a sad smile. "I see you both are busy right now. Right. Well, when you are done, I think we should start your antibiotics. You'll need to eat something with them. Luckily my porridge is probably ready about now, so we can all sit down and have some for lunch. Now, I'll be back to check on you in 10 minutes, so take your time." With that said, Arthur smiled again and retreated down the hall.

Matthew and Alfred both looked at each other, doubtfully. "What was that about?" Alfred asked confused. "Don't ask me." Matthew replied equally confused. "Artie's sure acting strange." The Canadian nodded in agreement. He then paled as he ran what the Englishman had just said through his mind again. "Hey Mattie, what happened to Artie's…_food_?" Alfred asked as he looked around. The kitchen didn't smell bad like it had when he left, now all he could smell was his brother's soup. He couldn't complain, as his stomach growled again with impatience. "Umm…well…you see…I…uh…I needed the pot…" Matthew mumbled as he chewed on his bottom lip in worry. Alfred looked back to his twin and cringed. "Dude, Artie's gonna be pissed…" Matthew didn't reply as he fidgeted with his hands. Alfred gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry Mattie, I'll back you up." He reassured as he reached out and took his twin's hands to stop him from fidgeting. "Besides-" Alfred continued as he lowered his voice. "I'd rather have _your_ cooking, over _his_ any day of the year." Matthew stopped chewing on his lip and gave his twin a soft smile as his cheeks tinted a shade darker. "Thanks, Al…"

**xXx**

**WMD: I had alot of fun writing this chapter~**

**Poor Artie! What do you think he's going to do when he finds out his meat porridge is missing?!**

**Also, who can guess what kind of soup Matthew has made? **


	14. Step 14 - Folk Remedy

**Kapitel Fjorton**

-Chapter Fourteen-

**(Swedish)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Accomplices, Movie Marathons, and Multinational Naptime~**

xXx

**Step 14 - Folk Remedy**

"What is this?" Arthur asked as he stared down at the steaming bowl of food that had been set in front of him. They were all seated at the kitchen counter for lunch. Francis and Arthur were sitting on the outside barstools set out in the adjoining living room and Matthew and Alfred were safely seated across from them on the barstools within the kitchen. Francis smirked and picked up his spoon. "It iz zoup, Angleterre, are you blind?" "That's not what I meant!" Arthur snapped. "I mean where is the food that _I_ made?" He asked with irritation.

Matthew tugged at the bottom of his borrowed shirt, below the counter, anxiously as he stirred his soup with his spoon in concentration. "What food?" Alfred asked with seeming ignorance. Francis held back a laugh and decided to join in as well. "Oui, Arthur, what food?" The American glanced over at his brother and noticed his nervous actions. With a silent laugh, Alfred reached over and took hold of Matthew's hand, getting his attention. The Canadian looked up at his twin. Alfred tilted his head and smiled. "Right, Mattie?" "Uh…" Matthew started, then looked over to Arthur and frowned. "Right… What food?" He finally joined in on the farce as well, making his brother grin.

Arthur grit his teeth in frustration. "You bloody well know what food!" He raged as he shot a glare at Francis. The Frenchman held his hands up in surrender but kept his amused expression. "Maybe you imagined it, Arthur." "Yeh, like your Flying Meat Bunny." Alfred grinned as he watched the Englishman's face turn red. "It's MINT! Her name is 'Flying MINT Bunny!' Not MEAT! And don't you dare play dumb with me! I realize that is your specialty, Alfred, but it is completely unnecessary! You don't have to defend these two for their mischief. Francis, I expected this from, but _you_ Matthew? I expected better from-" Arthur was effectively silenced when a spoonful of warm soup was placed into his open mouth. "Just drop it, Artie." Alfred said in a tired tone as he sat back on his barstool after swiping the Englishman's unused spoon as a replacement.

Arthur glared at the American, but relented as he pulled the spoon out of his mouth and sighed. "Fine… What is this? Chicken soup?" He asked as he stared down at the contents of the soup. "It's so much better then that!" Alfred argued as he put a spoonful of soup into his own mouth. "This is good ol' fashioned chicken noodle soup~" He informed happily. "…So it is chicken soup…" Arthur concluded as he dipped his spoon into the broth. "Well…yes." Matthew agreed as he gave his brother a small smile. "But this is the North American version." "It iz very good, Mathieu." Francis praised after he sampled a spoonful, himself. "_Yeh _it is." Alfred agreed as if he were stating an obvious fact. "Plus, this is our official Folk Remedy for the common cold." "Why…? Because you put _noodles_ in it?" Arthur asked, unimpressed. Alfred smirked as he dipped his spoon back into his bowl. "You just wouldn't understand, Artie. You're European." He replied as he gave the Englishman a sly smile.

Arthur rolled his eyes and didn't reply as he continued eating. _'And, here I was feeling sorry for that wanker.' _He grouched inside his head. _'Well, at least he's not depressed.' _Arthur quietly looked across the counter at the twins. Alfred was dipping the ladle into the pot, that was set to the side on the counter, for his second serving, as he had already finished his first bowl of soup. When he finished refilling his own bowl, Matthew nudged him with his elbow and held out his soup bowl as well, making Alfred smile as he accepted it. _'They must have really been hungry.' _Arthur observed, thoughtfully_. 'Well, regardless of what happened to my porridge, I suppose it's a good thing that they're eating something, finally. This, and the anitbiotics will make for a speedy recovery. Let's just hope we can be persistent about it.'_ Arthur frowned as he watched Alfred hand a refilled soup bowl back to his brother. _'That reminds me…' _He thought while he lifted his spoon to his mouth again. _'I still need to speak privately with Matthew, I wonder when a good time will be. I'll have to get him away from his brother…' _

**~(TS)~**

"Come _on_…" Alfred whined as he stared at the soccer game on the TV. They had all regrouped in the living room after lunch and were now watching whatever Francis wanted, because he had the controller. "It's been an hour already…just change it." Francis sighed and turned to the whiney American. "Alright, fine. What would you like to watch." Alfred looked up hopefully, when he finally got a response from the Frenchman. "Well if you're going to watch sports, how about putting on a football game." Francis smirked. "Oui, zat zounds like a good idea." He then flicked the channel up a few times and found yet another soccer game. Alfred groaned and hung his head. "I said football." "Zat's what zis iz." Francis replied smuggly without looking back at the teen. "This is soccer! Not football!" Alfred snapped. Francis inwardly laughed, he loved yanking on the American's chain.

Arthur cleared his throat beside Alfred, in order to stop a further argument, before it escalated. They both looked over and gave him their attention. "How about we find a nice movie to watch?" "Whatever, as long as it's not another soccer game…" Alfred agreed and leaned back into the couch. "Are you going to be picking zee movie, Arthur?" Francis asked with a frown. "Well if you want this to be fair." Arthur sighed and held out his fist. "Then let's decide who chooses the movie this way." Francis sighed again but complied.

Arthur elbowed Matthew in his arm gently to wake him up. The Canadian had been taking a nap on the other side of the couch for almost an hour now. The teen lifted his head from his arm and stared back at Arthur, half asleep. "What…?" "Dude, Artie, why'd you wake him up?" Alfred asked from the other side of the Englishman. Without looking back at the American, Arthur answered as he held his fist out to Matthew. "Because, you both would have found a way to complain if we didn't have everyone's participation." Matthew stared at Arthur's fist and looked back up at the Englishman sitting next to him. "What's going on…?" He asked as he tried to cover a yawn. "We're going to watch a movie." Alfred informed from the other side of the comfortable black couch. "It's Artie's pick so far. We both lost." He said as he waved a hand between Francis and himself. "Lost what…?" Matthew asked as he tried to wake himself up a bit more. "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Arthur stated as he focused in on the Canadian. "Your turn, Matthew." The teen looked down at the other's fist and nodded as he held his own hand out as well. "Ok…ready."

"Right, I win again." Arthur smirked triumphantly as he turned away from his latest victim and held his hand out for the remote. Matthew sighed and put his hands back in his lap. _'Why do I always choose paper…?' _"You are far too competitive for your own good." Francis said tiredly as he leaned forward in the armchair by the window. He then tossed the controller to the gloating Brit. Arthur caught it easily without looking and then casually started browsing through the movie selections. "No, 'orror movies zis time, Arthur." Francis insisted as he leaned back into the armchair and got comfortable again. The island nation ignored him as he came to the end of the movie list and frowned. "Is this all there is to choose from?" Alfred looked over to him and smirked. "Just press the movie button, Artie. You're still on the regular TV channel."

Arthur frowned at the American and looked down at the controller trying to find this _'movie' _button. When he still hadn't found it, Alfred leaned over and pointed it out to him. "This one." He said as he pressed a blue button on the top of the remote. A nearly endless supply of titles to choose from, flooded onto the TV screen. Francis gasped in horror. "We will be 'ere forever! 'e'll never make up 'is mind now!" Arthur shot the Frenchman a glare, then continued to search through the movies. Matthew chuckled at the serious posture Arthur had taken as he considered his options.

"Found one." Arthur finally said after 12 minutes had passed by. "Are you zerious zis time…?" Francis asked doubtfully. "Yes I am." Arthur replied moodily as he selected the movie. It was a British comedy that neither Alfred or Francis had seen. Matthew actually _had_ seen it before, but he didn't mind watching it again as long as they could finally just relax for awhile.

There was a small tug on Matthew's pant legs, bringing him out of his own thoughts. He looked down and was met with dark sleepy brown eyes. "Oh, Mr. Kumacheerio, where have you been?" Matthew asked as he bent over and lifted his little polar bear companion from the floor and onto his lap. "Who are you…?" Matthew smiled with tears in his eyes. "I'm Canada…" Kumajiro stared at him blankly for a moment then turned around and curled into his owner's lap. Hero then hopped up onto the couch arm, seemingly out of nowhere, startling the Canadian. Alfred looked over and smirked as his cat used Matthew's shoulder as a step and softly headbutted him on the cheek in his over affectionate way. "Nice to see you too, eh?" Matthew laughed as he straightened his glasses again. Hero purred loudly, then invaded Kumajiro's personal space and curled up beside him on Matthew's lap as well. "You're an animal magnet, Mattie." Alfred chuckled as he leaned back into the couch. Matthew blushed in spite of himself. "I don't think they know how heavy they are…"

**~(TS)~**

The movie had gone by slowly. Most of the humor had actually gone right over Francis and Alfred's heads, and they had fallen asleep within the first half hour. Kumajiro finally reclaimed his territory and pushed the fluffy white Ragamuffin onto the couch cushion. The cat looked over at the small bear with his bright blue eyes and his ears drooped slightly in hurt. He then looked up to Matthew. The Canadian was watching the credits roll with a blank expression. Hero swished his tail and finally looked over to Arthur. The Englishman was fiddling with the TV remote as if it were some kind of alien technology…which it was… Hero smiled in his catlike way and climbed onto Arthur's lap, while brushing his fluffy tail under the man's chin. The Englishman grunted in irritation and moved his head away from the furry creature. "Why don't you go bother someone else." He hissed as quietly as he could. The cat ignored him and curled up on his lap, almost knocking the remote out of the man's hand.

_'Should I choose another movie?' _Arthur wondered, while looking through the movie list again. He took a quick glance around at the others. Francis was leaning to the side in the unreclined recliner, his elbow propped up on the chair arm and his chin resting in his hand. The Frenchman was sound asleep and his wavy blonde hair had fallen over his face, messily. Arthur ended up staring at the man a little longer then he realized. It was very unusual for Francis to fall asleep around him, it almost never happened. _'He must be exhausted…' _Arthur thought with a hint of sympathy. _'Why should I care?!' _He glared and looked away and back to the screen. Despite his usual bigotry towards his Frenemy, Arthur found himself looking back over at the man with a small frown.

"Why don't you pick another movie, Arthur." Matthew suggested quietly, after a soft yawn. Arthur nodded and looked back at the screen. "Do you have anything you would like to watch?" He asked as he fiddled with the remote again. "I don't really care…" Matthew replied and leaned his head back on the couch, sleepily. "Just pick something quiet…" Arthur nodded again, then looked over at Alfred. The teen was also sound asleep and was leaning against his shoulder, heavily. _'I guess I should count my_ _blessings.' _Arthur smiled. _'At least this day is going considerably better then yesterday.' _

Matthew missed what Arthur had chosen as the next movie, but it appeared to be a slow drama. That was just fine, he really wasn't paying attention anyway. All he _really_ wanted to do, was take a nap. But not _just_ a nap, he wanted to lay down and go to sleep. He felt in desperate need to reclaim some of his lost sleep. Matthew sighed and peered across Arthur, to his brother. Alfred was sound asleep, resting on Arthur's shoulder. _'I guess it really would be unreasonable for me to wake him up just because I want to go to sleep…' _He frowned as he looked down at his sleeping Polar Bear companion. _'I sleep by myself all the time when I'm at home, well with Kuma and Maple of course, but whenever I visit Alfie, and vice versa, I just don't want too…'_ Matthew's expression softened as he brushed his hand through Kumajiro's fur as he slept. _'That's not that unreasonable is it?' _

**~(TS)~**

A few hours later, Francis was jerked from his sleep, when a large furball hopped onto his lap. He stared down at the creature groggily and was met with clear blue eyes staring back at him. Francis groaned to himself and sat back into a more attentive position. "You are just az annoying az your owner…" He muttered as he lifted the fluffy Ragamuffin off his lap and set him back down on the floor. Francis released a long yawn then dragged himself to his feet and stretched. "'ow long waz I asleep…?" He asked casually. Receiving no answer, the Frenchman looked over at the other countries. A slow grin spread across his face as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his camera. All three of them were sound asleep. Matthew and Alfred were both leaning against Arthur, who sat between them on the couch.

_'It zeems Arthur 'as yet to zay anysing zat might upzet zem.'_ Francis frowned as he pocketed his camera again. _'I wonder what 'e 'ad to zay to Alfred earlier, zat waz zo important?'_ He looked out the window at the darkening sky and sighed. _'I doubt zis iz over...'_

**xXx**

**WMD: This was a rather quiet chapter, huh?**

**In the next chapter, Arthur is finally going to have his talk with Matthew... let's see how _that_ goes. **

**Only a few more chapters left. This has gone on alot longer then I expected! **

**Remember to leave me a Review~ **

**They make me happy. **

**Seriously, they do.**

**...I made a rhyme! o.o **


	15. Step 15 - Comfort Zone

**Kapitel Femten**

-Chapter Fifteen-

**(Danish)**

**I bet you guys are wondering when I'm going to run out of languages~**

**_'Thoughts' _"Speech"**

**-(VC)- = View Change **

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - French Perversion, Unforeseen Resistance, and the Secret Photo Collection!**

xXx

**Step 15 - Comfort Zone**

"Is this really necessary?" Alfred complained as he sat shirtless on the side of his bed as Francis set a bottle down on the nightstand. "Oui." He said as he rubbed his hands together, spreading the medicinal oil. "Zee doctor zaid we needed to do zis to bose of you before you go to bed." He stated as he reached for the teen with his oily hands. "The dude with the cowboy boots?" Alfred asked as he instinctively leaned away. Francis, unfazed by this action, leaned over the American and pressed his hands to the teen's chest. "Oui, zats zee one."

"What is this for anyway?" Alfred whined as he leaned back to where he had been. He was too tired to put up much of a struggle, so he gave up altogether. "It's to 'elp you brease better tonight." Francis said as he continued rubbing the smelly oil over Alfred's chest. "I can breath just fine." The teen grumbled, though he was being unusually placid about the unwanted touching he was receiving.

Francis quirked an eyebrow at the sleepy teen and then stood back to look him over. Alfred looked as if he could fall asleep at any moment. _'It's zo odd to zee 'im zo off 'is guard.' _A devious smirk appeared on Francis' face as he reached over and took the bottle of herbal oil off the nightstand.

**-(VC)-**

"I wanted to speak with you about something, Matthew." Arthur said when he was done applying some of the medicinal oil they had received from the hospital, to the teen's chest and back. "Huh?" Matthew answered after he finished with another coughing fit. "What's…that?" He breathed.

"It's about you and Alfred." Arthur began, for some reason speaking about this with Matthew was coming out much easier then it had been with Alfred.

Matthew's stomach squirmed a little as he looked up at the Englishman. "What about us?" Arthur crossed his arms and continued. "I'm concerned about how close your relationship is with your brother." Matthew looked down at his hands with a weak smile. _'So it really is about that, guess Arthur caught on after all…' _"Now I've already spoken to Alfred about this, and he was very agreeable on the subject." Matthew looked up at Arthur and frowned as he analyzed the older country. "What did you say to Alfie?" He asked in an accusing voice. Arthur was taken aback by the hostile tone of the usually passive Canadian. "Well-" Arthur frowned down at the teen. "I mainly stressed to him, that I thought the two of you may have taken things a bit too far and that it was completely unacceptable." Matthew narrowed his eyes at the Brit. "Your brother was perfectly understanding about this and agreed with me." The teen unconsciously bit down on his bottom lip and looked away, lost in thought. Arthur stayed quiet as he gave the younger nation time to think it over and come up with the proper decision.

_'Alfie agreed?' _The very thought made Matthew's chest hurt. Before he let himself be consumed by his own depression, he decided to think back on how Alfred had acted when he had come home from the pharmacy earlier that day. That _had_ to be the time when Arthur had spoken to him about this. _'But he had acted so normal…' _Matthew frowned. _'He didn't even act like he had, had a potentially embarrassing conversation, whether he was oppose to it or even accepting of it… He seemed unaware that any conversation had even taken place.' _Memories of Alfred half listening or even totally ignoring Arthur floated into his mind. A majority of the time, the Englishman was completely unaware that his words were falling on seemingly deaf ears. A small smile appeared on Matthew's face. _'I'll never say it to your face, Al. But this time, I'm so happy that you have the ability to completely ignore someone when they're talking to you.' _He looked back up to Arthur with a serious expression. _'Now I just have to make sure Arthur doesn't try this again…'_

"Do you now see that this type of behavior between you are your brother simply can't go on, Matthew?" Arthur asked confidently, like he was speaking to the Canadian as if he were still a young colony. Matthew narrowed his eyes again at the older country's apparent air of superiority. "No I don't." Matthew started, causing Arthur to deflate a little. "I don't agree, Arthur. Besides, we're not your colonies anymore. You need to stop acting like you can control us. Whatever we do, it's _our_ decision, not yours. This isn't even any of your business." Matthew said quietly as he tried to keep his voice level.

_'What the bloody hell is this?!' _Arthur thought to himself. He was completely dumbfounded by the response he had just gotten from the Canadian. _'What just happened? This isn't right.' _"You're being absolutely unreasonable, Matthew!" Arthur finally snapped, after he had gotten over his initial shock. "Your brother already agreed, so there is really no reason for you to keep this up." That only earned him a smirk from the teen. "Are you sure Alfie even heard a single word you said to him? Because I'm not sure he did." Arthur frowned as he thought back. "Did he even acknowledge what you were talking to him about with actual words or did he simply nod his head?" Matthew asked, seriously as he stared up at the now indecisive Brit.

Arthur grit his teeth as he thought back to that morning, when he was speaking with Alfred. _'That tosser didn't actually say anything… Did he even hear a thing I said to him?' _With that question in mind he turned to leave the room to get some answers. "Arthur." Matthew said quietly, causing the Englishman to stop. "What?" He asked bitterly without turning back to face the teen. "Stop trying to fix things that aren't broken…" Matthew mumbled, finally feeling self-conscious for being so bold. Arthur said nothing in return as he left the room.

"Maybe I'm wrong…" Matthew whispered to himself as he fell into doubt. _'Even if Alfie didn't hear what Arthur said the first time, how would he of reacted if he had heard. Would he have agreed just like Arthur wanted…? Would he of laughed it off as if it were a ridiculous idea? Would he have been disgusted?'_ The Canadian flopped over on his side and brought his knees up. He then started chewing on his bottom lip in worry.

**-(VC)-**

When Arthur came to a stop in front of Alfred's bedroom door, his eye twitched with even more irritation with what he saw. Francis had taken a knee so he was in a better position to take a picture with his camera. His target? Alfred. The American's entire upper body was, save for his face, completely lathered with the herbal oil they had received from the hospital, and now looked like he was glistening. What's more, he was sound asleep, sitting up. How he managed to do that? Well, Alfred could fall asleep doing anything if he were tired enough…

"What do you think you're doing, frog!" Arthur hissed as quietly as he could as he walked into the room to stand before them with his arms crossed. Francis smirked up at him and put his camera away before it could be taken. "Nosing at all, mon cher." He lied as he stood up smoothly and smiled down at the Brit. "You're wasting the oil for another one of your perverted ideas." Arthur accused crossly as he reached over and tried to wipe some of the oil off of the teen. "Looking like zat-" Francis started as he grinned over at the shiny American. "I bet 'e could star in a por-" "Go get a towel, you wanker!" Arthur finally snapped, startling Alfred out of his sleep.

Alfred looked up and then yawned lazily as he watched Francis leave the room, honhonhoning. He then peeled his arm off of his side and frowned. "Why am I sticky…?" Arthur sighed. There was really no use asking the teen anything right now, he was simply too tired.

When Francis returned with a towel, Arthur took it from his hands and began carefully wiping off the excess oil. "I'll be staying in here tonight, to watch over Alfred, and be here if he needs anything. You-" He said as he gave Francis a side glance "Should go stay with Matthew in the guest room, and do the same." Francis sighed but relented, Arthur was in one of his moods again for some reason. _'I wonder what zet 'im off zis time…' _

The Frenchman came to his conclusion when he stepped inside the guest room and spotted his ex-colony. The Canadian hadn't even noticed his arrival as he was too busy worrying about something. Francis sighed inwardly and walked around the bed. _'Looks like Arthur finally decided to voice 'is opinion…'_

Matthew was taken out of his thoughts when he felt the other side of the bed dip down. He slowly rolled onto his back and looked silently over at Francis. The older country stretched, then laid back onto the bed and set his head down on his arms that had been brought up. "Don't let anysing Arthur says bozzer you, Mathieu. 'e iz just zstuck in 'is old ways." Francis told the teen, quietly. Matthew didn't reply at first as he pulled himself back into a sitting position and hunched over after bringing his knees up to his chest. "But what if he's right…?"

Francis, not having heard the actual conversation himself, concluded that it had something to do with that fact Arthur disapproved of the twin's overly friendly relationship and had told them that it was unacceptable or somewhere along those lines. Whether it was right or wrong, Francis himself couldn't bring himself to condemn them for it. He was the nation of love after all, wasn't he? And this simply _wasn't any_ of their business. _'I guess Arthur ztill can't accept zat.' _

Francis debated with himself on his next action for a moment, then finally decided to go forward with it. After pushing himself back into a sitting position as well, he took out his camera and leaned over to the younger nation. "Mathieu, regardless of what Arthur 'as zaid to you, I don't sink you should just give up."

Matthew continued to ignore his company as he silently brooded. But when a camera screen came into view in front of his face, his attention was instantly focused on the picture. Francis smirked as he watched the teen's cheeks blossom with color. "Papa! When did you take this!" Matthew exclaimed as he grabbed the camera out of Francis' hand and turned away from him, embarrassed. The picture was of him and Alfred a couple days ago when they were eating ice cream while on Alfred's bed. It had been taken right when Matthew was licking his brother's neck, right above his collarbone. _'Oh god, was he watching the whole time?' _The Canadian stressed as he bit down on his bottom lip in utter embarrassment.

Francis laughed as he leaned to get a better view of the picture over Matthew's hunched over shoulders. "Why do you have this?" Matthew asked in an annoyed tone. "Reasons." Francis replied, evasively. "But zee reason why I showed you zat picture, waz for you to understand zat giving up would be a 'orrible miztake." "Why…?" Matthew asked, doubtfully. "Because, I sink we bose know, zat notre cher Alfred 'az a 'ard time being 'onest wiz 'ow 'e really feels about certain sings." Matthew frowned but then sighed in agreement. "What are you getting at?" "Well, mon petit Mathieu, while _Alfred_ might 'ave a 'ard time telling zee trusth, _pictures_ on zee ozzer 'and, don't lie." The teen's lips twitched downward into another frown as he stared back at the picture.

Francis inwardly laughed at the new interest the teen had gained. He then leaned back and slid onto his feet, beside the bed. _'Per'aps zat will put to rest zome of 'is doubts.' _The Frenchman thought to himself as he pulled the covers back and scooted underneath them, making himself comfortable for a good nights sleep. He still felt exhausted from yesterday, and a few naps here and there just _weren't_ good enough.

_'How many pictures has Papa taken of us?' _Matthew wondered to himself, feeling even more embarrassed as he flicked through the images on Francis' camera. With each new picture, Matthew was finally beginning to see what Francis was talking about. It was subtle, but Alfred always had a softer expression when he was looking at him, one might even say it was a loving expression. Matthew knew his brother loved him, but perhaps his affection was even deeper then he himself realized. Deeper then a simple sibling bond, and stronger then a little crush.

Matthew sat up straighter and let his lips part slightly as the revelation hit him. _'Does Alfie feel the same way about me as I have felt about him for all these years? …How did I not notice?'_ As if to cement his assumption, a picture Francis had taken right outside their window, when they were in the backseat of his car, popped up on the screen. Matthew felt his cheeks flush at the near intimate scene. They truly didn't look like simple brothers, no, they looked like two people who were unmistakably in love with each other. There was no way to hide the honesty on _either_ of their faces.

A warm smile appeared on Matthew's face as he turned the camera off. "Thanks, Papa…" He whispered as he turned to look at Francis. Matthew chuckled silently as he noticed that the Frenchman was already fast asleep. The teen carefully reached over him and set the camera down on the other nightstand. He then leaned back and peered over at the door.

Matthew contemplated on looking for his twin, but decided against it. He didn't want to face anymore British wrath tonight, and he was sure Arthur had decided to sleep in (guard) Alfred's bedroom for the night. That was fine… The Canadian was much more confident now, that even if Arthur _were_ to speak his mind to his brother, it would be unlikely that it would sway his mind. Alfred was stubborn like that. That was just another thing Matthew loved about him, …most of the time anyway.

A smile played at the teen's lips as he pulled the covers back on his side and slipped underneath them as well. _'Now if only I can get Alfie to admit how he feels.' _Matthew sighed and he set his head down on his pillow. _'That will be a feat in and of itself…' _

**~(TS)~**

Alfred woke up sometime in the middle of the night, from his restless sleep. Not only did his whole upper body feel like it had been rubbed with mint, which was making him feel cold, but something else was bothering him as well, though he didn't know what. Half asleep, he turned over on his other side, ignoring the dull ache that had now been set off in his upper arm, he felt around blindly on the bed before him. Not that he would admit it, but sometimes he did this even when Matthew wasn't visiting. It would always be disappointing when he would finally wake up enough to realize he was alone.

To his finger's dulled excitement, they discovered another warm body in the bed next to them. Alfred mumbled something incoherent and reached over and wrapped his arms around the person and then carefully pulled them over. His mind tried going back to sleep, but instead, it started pointing out all the many differences about the person in bed with him. The person smelled different. Like tea. The person was shorter then he was used to. Alfred frowned and groggily opened his eyes. Something wasn't right. Like a puzzle piece with the wrong edge, this person just didn't fit.

He released his hold on the person and wearily dragged his aching body into a sitting position. _'Oh…that's why…'_ Alfred concluded as a blurry image of Arthur was shown to him, illuminated by the dim moonlight shining through the window. He yawned quietly as he reached over for his glasses. _'Guess the storm's over…'_ He thought to himself after putting on his glasses and looking out the window at the clear night sky._ 'That's good.'_ Alfred then sighed and looked back down at the sleeping Englishman. It wasn't that he didn't like Arthur or didn't want to sleep next to him. It was because the Brit was a notoriously violent dreamer, even worse them he himself he was told, which is the reason why Alfred had decided to take the extra blanket from the end of the bed and abandon his own bedroom for the couch in the living room. He simply didn't want to acquire anymore aches and pains if Arthur started reliving his _'pirate days'_…

**-(VC)-**

French ramblings and perverted dreamy laughter awoke Matthew from his light sleep. He looked over to the nightstand clock. It was 12:30am. The Canadian groaned as he tried to kick the Frenchman away from him, because he was breathing and mumbling in his ear. His actions only caused Francis to tighten his arms around Matthew's waist and tangle his stereotypically hairy legs with his. The teen cringed, feeling particularly grossed out now as he tried to pry the older country's arms away, without waking him. He failed. _'This sucks…' _He whined inside his head as he tried to formulate another plan of escape.

In the end he finally managed to crawl out of Francis' hold while substituting a pillow in his place. He truly felt sorry for that pillow, but it had to be done. Matthew sighed as he reached over and took his glasses off of the nightstand and put them on. _'Now where am I going to sleep… no way I'm going back there...' _His shoulders drooped slightly as he made his way out of the bedroom. _'Guess I'll just sleep on the couch…' _

Matthew titled his head in confusion as he stared down at his twin. _'Why's Alfie sleeping on the couch?'_ He wondered as he continued to stare. Before he could rethink his actions, Matthew had already reached out and gently set his hand on his brother's shoulder, without saying a word. The light touch was all that was needed to wake the sleeping American.

Alfred looked up and blinked a few times, he then gave Matthew a small smile and silently opened the covers around him in a welcoming gesture. The Canadian smiled back in response and accepted the invitation as he slipped in beside his brother. Alfred closed the covers over them and then wrapped his arms around his twin and pulled him to his chest. _'This fits…' _Alfred thought to himself as he finally began feeling comfortable for the first time that night. _'Mattie fits perfectly...'_

_'…He always has.'_

**xXx**

**WMD: Does Arthur even have a chance now?**

**I'm sure that clever Brit can think of something.**

**Do you have any ideas? Share them with me. :)**

**Thank you for your reviews.**


	16. Step 16 - Sleep In and Relax

**Kapittel Seksten**

-Chapter Sixteen-

**(Norwegian)**

**This one is the long****est yet! ...I just didn't know when to end it lol**

**Hope you don't mind~**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - Morning Backrubs, Senseless Pixelated Violence, and Undead Duos!**

xXx

**Step 16 - Sleep In and Relax**

Arthur finally awoke when the particularly heavy weight on his chest became too much to stand. He moaned as his emerald eyes slowly opened and came into focus. Bright blue eyes stared back at him from only a couple inches away. A chill ran up Arthur's spine from the unexpected sight and he almost lost his cool. But when his logical side kicked in a moment later, he merely let out a shaky sigh, then glared at the cat. "You're such a nuisance." He growled, which only caused Hero to purr loudly back in response as he swished his tail lazily.

Arthur rolled his head to the side and read the numbers on the digital clock on the nightstand. It was 8:20am. _'How did I sleep so late? It must be almost noon back home…' _He had, had a horrible night's sleep. His dreams had been plagued with numerous bothersome obstacles that may or may not have had to do with the twins. Also there was that one part where his meat porridge was speaking to him from the kitchen sink… Not to mention he kept getting phantom whiffs of maple syrup throughout the night.

The Englishman groaned again and wiped a hand down his face in discontent. _'Well, I'd better get up. I wonder if this day will be better or worse then yesterday…' _Arthur leaned back in the bed and stretched his body as he let out a long yawn. _'That reminds me…I still need to ask Alfred if he even heard me yesterday.' _Arthur reminded himself as he slowly looked over the tousled bed for the country in question. He couldn't bring himself to be surprised, when he noticed that the teen was not there. Alfred always woke up early.

The smell of fresh tea lured Arthur out of the bedroom and down the hall. Upon stepping inside the kitchen, he found Francis casually reading an American newspaper. "Ah, good morning, Arthur." He greeted after setting down the newspaper and taking a sip of tea. "Good morning…" Arthur mumbled as he trudged over and slid onto the barstool next to Francis. He simply didn't have any bite this morning. Francis quirked an eyebrow as he looked his frenemy over. The Englishman's hair was extra messy and he was still in his pajamas. _'Poor Angleterre, 'e doesn't look like 'e got much zleep last night.' _Francis mused as he took note of the dark shadows underneath the Brit's eyes. _'Might 'ave been zomesing Mathieu zaid… after all, petit Mathieu waz not zee only one who waz upset last night.' _

Francis sighed as he watched Arthur reach over and steal his tea. "By all means, 'elp yourself…" Arthur grumbled something incoherent as he took a sip of his newly claimed cup of tea. He then watched as Francis stood up to get himself a replacement. _'I hate you frog… I like your tea…of course, it's not as good as my tea…' _Arthur grouched to himself silently as he took another sip.

_'Zat works every time…' _Francis mused to himself as he brought down a coffee mug from the kitchen cabinet and an unopened container of instant coffee. He actually didn't drink tea in the morning, that was Arthur's thing. But he knew if he made some, the smaller island nation would undoubtedly, finally get his lazy butt out of bed, and he did, though it was quite unusual for the Englishman to sleep this long. A few minutes later Francis sat back down at the counter with a fresh cup of instant coffee and picked up the newspaper again.

"Where are the twins?" Arthur asked finally after 15 minutes of silence had gone by without any bickering between them. He was now awake enough to notice the absence of his worries. Francis waited quietly for a moment then finally answered. "Zey are on zee couch in zee living room." Arthur sighed then nodded his head, tiredly. "Of course they are…"

After putting his cup in the sink, Arthur turned to leave the kitchen. "Arthur-" Francis said quietly to get the Englishman's attention. "Don't wake zem up. Just let zem zleep. Zey need it." Arthur shot him a glare for being told what to do but then he nodded with a sigh and walked out of the kitchen, without another word.

That same familiar twinge of irritation started up again within his head as he glowered down at the North American brothers. Alfred was stretched out on his back, his head resting on the arm of the couch. He had one arm draped lazily over his brother's waist, while his other hand had fallen to the floor in his sleep. Matthew's upper body was laying over his brother and his arms were wrapped securely around the other's middle as he rested his head on Alfred's chest. They were both still shirtless from the night before. A brown blanket was pushed back and now only covered them from the waist down.

Arthur inwardly sighed as he reached over and carefully felt both of their foreheads. _'At least their fevers are gone now, that, at least is one less thing to worry about. As for the other…it can wait until they wake up.'_

"I don't understand it." Arthur grumbled as he reentered the kitchen and sat down again. "They're like magnetized to each other!" "Oui, zey most certainly are." Francis replied smoothly as he set down his paper yet again. "I 'ave to ask-" The Frenchman started as he tried to find the right words to start this touchy conversation. "What is it?" Arthur asked, grumpily. "What waz it zat made bosth you and mon petit Mathieu zo upset last night?" Francis asked, though he already had a pretty good idea, he just wanted to hear it straight forward. Arthur sighed heavily and his expression became even more gloomy. "I spoke to him about his questionable relationship with Alfred. …He was _completely_ uncooperative." Arthur answered honestly. "Mm, I zuppose 'e would be." Francis agreed as he folded the newspaper and put it down, where the coffee maker used to be on the counter. "After all, 'e 'as only 'ad eyes for notre cher Alfred for more years zen I care to count." And vice versa, he wanted to say as well, but decided against it, for it might make things worse.

"But it's wrong!" Arthur hissed as he turned to face his frenemy with a stern look. "Iz it?" Francis frowned. "Yes, of course it is. They're brothers! It's just not right." The Frenchman sighed and gave the other a serious look. "Arthur, zis iz one of zose times, where you just need to let sings go. Whatever will be will be." He shrugged, nonchalantly. "Zat iz, unless you 'ave an ulterior issue wiz zem being togesther. Iz zis personal for you, Arthur?" The Englishman looked away and frowned deeply. "No, of course it's not. I just don't think it's right…" Francis sighed and stood up. After putting his own cup in the sink he decided to give the island nation one last bit of advice. "If you keep pushing and prodding zis matter, zomesing iz bound to znap, and I am not zure relations will be zo easy to mend afterwards. I sink it would be wize to just leave zem alone about zis." Arthur narrowed his emerald eyes at the surface of the kitchen countertop but didn't reply.

**~(TS)~**

Sometime a little before noon, Alfred slowly awoke from his long overdue sleep. He could hear birds chirping from outside and could feel the warm rays of sunlight on his face. He stayed, unmoving for a few more minutes in his half awake state until he was able to finally will his eyes to open and greet the day. He had fallen asleep with his glasses on last night, so the image he saw before him was in perfect focus. A warm smile graced Alfred's lips as he stared at his sleeping twin. Matthew was laying partially on top of him, his head resting on Alfred's chest, and his arms wrapped around the American's middle.

_'Man, if I could wake up to this every morning, I'd be happy…' _Alfred thought to himself as he took the opportunity to gaze at the Canadian without the threat of being caught. Alfred truly thought Matthew was beautiful, he loved everything he saw, right down to the mysterious violet hue of his eyes when he was awake. But that was just physical, there was so much more that he adored about his twin, that couldn't even be seen. So much more.

Alfred sighed softly. _'It's almost been a week.' _He felt a frown tug at his lips but he ignored it. _'Mattie's probably going to have to head back north pretty soon. That's going to suck…' _Truthfully, Alfred wished that they would never have to part, and every time they did he would feel that a piece of himself was gone as well. He could still remember when they were together all the time when they were younger. But then the world started changing around them and they ultimately had to change with it, whether they wanted to or not. Life is cruel that way.

_'I wonder when the next World Conference is scheduled. I know Germany told everyone…but he was shouting and I kinda missed it… Where is it going to be held? For some reason, the monthly conference schedule has been out of whack lately. I wonder what's up…' _Alfred dismissed his own thoughts with the simple conclusion that. _'Either way, wherever we go, I'll get to be with Mattie again so it doesn't really matter I suppose.' _They always roomed together when they traveled, though no other country seemed to notice. Probably because they simply didn't notice Matthew. Alfred smirked. _'How can they be so blind?'_ Of course in his own selfish and most secret of thoughts, he was sort of glad, at least if no one else noticed his brother then there would be no one to come between them.

_'I want you all to myself, Mattie.' _Alfred thought as he slowly reached over.

The gentle stroke of a hand down Matthew's back finally brought the Canadian's consciousness to the forefront of his mind and out of his dreams. The feeling left his skin tingling from the touch. _'That feels nice…' _He thought to himself sleepily and made no attempt to move from his position, in hopes that it would continue. A few moments later it did, though this time the hand was slower and more explorative on his back. This was different, sure Alfred touches him plenty, but it's very rare that he actually _feels_ him like this. Matthew's fingertips tingled from where they were underneath his brother's back. He wanted to do the same, but he resisted the urge, simply because he didn't want this moment to end if he happened to make his twin uncomfortable.

Alfred finally placed his warm hand on his twin's back and left it stationary. Slight disappointment bubbled up in Matthew's stomach, though the warmth of his brother's hand _was_ relaxing, he still wanted more. The Canadian pressed his fingertips softly into Alfred's back and lifted his head slowly from the American's chest. Violet eyes met Azure eyes. "Don't stop." Matthew said with a small pout and a light blush. Alfred's cheeks tinted with color as well, and he didn't reply right away.

"Morning, Mattie…" He finally greeted with an awkward grin. A sly smile formed on Matthew's lips as he watched his twin. _'Alfie's so adorable when he gets caught doing something like this. He's like a kid with his hand stuck in the cookie jar…' _And Matthew had seen _that_ before as well. It had happened when they were still colonies. Arthur's cookie jar, may you rest in pieces. Matthew opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a sharper more accretive voice from a little ways away.

"If you two are awake now, I'd like for you both to come into the kitchen. You need to take your antibiotics, it's nearly noon." Arthur casually said from inside the open kitchen. The interruption had caused Matthew to frown and Alfred to sigh but in the end they both complied and slowly sat up on the couch.

Arthur had come back from the store a little while ago and was unimpressed that the twins were still sleeping. But now that they were both awake and sitting on the barstools in the living room across from him, he kind of wished they _were_ still sleeping. Well maybe not Alfred, he was just slumped over the counter as though he had been brought up with no manners, to which of course he had, Arthur had seen to that, they just didn't appear to have stuck… No, Arthur's problem was with Matthew. The Canadian had been giving him the cold shoulder as he sat beside his brother, watching him silently.

_'Well even if Matthew is obsessed with his brother, if Alfred doesn't reciprocate those feelings, then there is still hope. After all, it seems that Matthew is actually the instigator to many of these odd situations. Who would have thought, I'd have so much trouble with the quieter of the two, though he'll never cause as much trouble for me as Alfred has… Let's not think about that now.'_ Arthur urged himself as he reeled his mind back from those old memories. Instead, he stared down at Alfred again and his face softened. _'Perhaps this is personal for me…'_

**~(TS)~**

The twins had taken their antibiotics with some yogurt that Arthur had bought from the store earlier. He finally figured that if he wanted them to eat something willingly, he would have better luck offering them something they were used to. He was pleasantly surprised that it had worked. Now the two teens were dressed for the day and sitting on the couch again playing some kind of obnoxiously loud video game while eating the popsicles he had also bought while at the store. It was a clever way to keep them hydrated, though they of course thought it was just a treat.

"This game doesn't make any sense, Al." Matthew whined as he clicked on the controller. "What don't you get?" Alfred frowned. "You have two options. Ghost or Zombie. Then we battle it out!" Matthew inwardly laughed at his brother's excitement. He then shook his head slightly. "That's just the thing… why would a ghost fight a zombie?" Alfred didn't reply as he moved his character behind a wall to sneak around the corner behind his brother's character. Matthew sighed as he watched the screen below his, but didn't bother to move his character out of danger. As expected, Alfred's character made his _'surprise'_ attack and began trying to gnaw on his brother's character's head. "Gotcha Mattie! Your brains are mine!" Matthew sighed again and leaned back on the couch as he watched Alfred's zombie character fall right through his own and crash to the ground. "This is what I was getting at. There's really no way for us to fight each other. Besides-" He gave Alfred a side glance and smirked. "You can't eat my brains, I'm a ghost. Ghost's don't have brains, Alfie~" Matthew then moved his ghost character around and attempted to possess Alfred's zombie. He frowned when nothing happened. "You can't possess a zombie, Mattie. We don't have souls." Alfred chuckled and he stood his character back up. "Then what's the point of this game?" Matthew asked, tiredly. Alfred shrugged. "Hell if I know. Tony made it." "Oh, now that makes sense…" Matthew replied as he lifted his eyebrows lazily. "Instead of fighting each other, let's go terrorize the town's people. I'll eat _their_ brains instead." Alfred grinned as his character picked up a chainsaw. Matthew laughed lightly and sat back into an attentive position on the couch. "Alright, _you_ can have their brains. I'll just spook them." He agreed with a smile as his character floated after the zombie on the screen.

Arthur had given up trying to read the last few chapters of his book, and instead he found himself watching the screen as the North American brothers played their silly game. The two made quite a formidable tag team, he had to admit. Now that they had actually figured out how to play the game, they were easily overcoming the many challenges the game kept throwing at them. _'I will never understand why these two like these kinds of games.' _Arthur sighed as he finally got bored of watching the screen. _'Well, at least it has kept them in one place for awhile.' _He thought as he looked over at the brothers. They were both leaning against each other while wearing a serious expression as they clicked away on their controllers. A small collection of popsicle sticks were gathered on the coffee table before them.

"Hey, Mattie." Alfred said as he pulled the new popsicle stick out of his mouth and began to read it, while kiting a mob of angry town's people with his zombie with one hand. "Hmm?" Matthew replied as he possessed a fancy red sports car with his ghost character, to run the angry town's people down while they were distracted. And for the record, that _car_ didn't have a soul either! He was still trying to find the logic that he could possess a car but not a zombie.

"How do you wrap a cloud?" Alfred asked as he read the popsicle stick riddle out loud for his brother. Matthew held a thoughtful expression as he worked out the answer in his head. "Uhh… With a rainbow?" Alfred instantly pouted. "How come you keep getting the answers right?" He asked, sulkily. "Because they're obvious." Matthew replied smugly as he slammed the brakes on his fancy possessed car and drifted into the storefront window of a mall so Alfred's zombie could get in and cause a panic. "Just use your brain, Alfie." "Hey! At least I _have_ a brain!" Alfred retorted as he leaned heavier against his brother. "Zombies are technically brain dead, so it doesn't even matter~" Matthew teased and he pressed back with a smirk.

In spite of himself, Arthur couldn't help but laugh inwardly at their little argument. It seemed even if they were fighting, they weren't _really_ fighting. He frowned as a blunt realization hit him. The way that Alfred argues with his brother is so much different then the way he argues with _him_. There's not as many petty insults or harsh teasing, no, when it came to Alfred and Matthew, their arguments were toned down to a soft familiarity. _'That's normal.'_ Arthur dismissed. _'They are twins after all.'_

**~(TS)~**

The North American brothers had finally reached the very last level, and they were now on their knees leaning over the coffee table in complete concentration. They had rounded up the remaining town's people into an empty cornfield on the outskirts of town. Alfred and his miniature army of undead minions were on one side, half circling the survivors, while Matthew was on the other side with his many apparitions, enclosing the other half of the circle. "Watch out, Mattie. One's escaping." Alfred alerted his brother when he noticed a woman on the screen as she made a break for it. "I got her." Matthew reassured as he had one of his spirits possess her. The woman stopped in her tracks then turned around and walked casually back into the tight crowd of people.

Arthur was actually watching the screen again as well. They had been playing that stupid game for a few hours now and it seemed as if they were nearing the end in an epic battle of undead vs. well…not undead…

"Ready, Al?" Matthew asked as he paused for dramatic effect. "Are _you_ ready, Mattie?" Alfred asked back with a smirk as he mimicked his brother. "Let's do this." Matthew said as he began closing in on the crowd. "Right behind ya, bro." Alfred agreed as he started marching his undead army. Right when they were on the verge of attack, something round flew directly overhead, and a bright light flooded down on the terrorized town's folk.

"What the hell?" The twins said in unison as they watched their prey be beamed up into a flying saucer. The screen went black and a picture of Tony giving them a thumbs up flicked on. The words "Alien abduction was a fucking success! Would you like to play again?" were boldly displayed in red at the top. All three countries deadpanned as they stared at the screen.

Matthew recovered first this time as he leaned back on his knees and laughed softly. "We really should have seen that coming…" Alfred looked over to him and smiled lightly, he then set his controller of the coffee table and leaned back on his knees as well. "Totally." He agreed completely and laughed with his brother.

"So, who won exactly?" Arthur asked tiredly as he rubbed his temples. "I guess Tony did." Alfred shrugged. "He _is_ the one who made the game after all." "What's the game called again?" Matthew asked as he stood up and stretched. "I think he said he named it 'Return to Roanoke' or something like that. I dunno…" Alfred replied as he too got back onto his feet and stretched. Arthur gaped at them and turned his head back to face the screen. Tony's unreadable face stared back at him with his large red eyes. Arthur grit his teeth in annoyance. _'I hate that bloody alien!' _

**xXx**

**WMD: I bet you are all wondering where Tony is, huh? He'll be there :P**

**Gaming Lingo - Kiting (Having your Target/Enemy chase you while staying just out of reach of it's attacks. It's also a good way to keep your targets attention while your partner attacks them from behind.) **

**Car Lingo - Drifting (Usually done when someone locks the rear wheels of their car, resulting in a loss of traction to the road, causing the car to slide sideways.)**

**what...? ...I know things... ._.**

**I changed the popsicle riddle - can anyone guess what it was before?**

**Remember to leave me a review! **

**Do you like long chapters or short chapters?**


	17. Step 17 - Popsicles and News Reports!

**Kafla Sautjan**

-Chapter Seventeen-

**(Icelandic)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**Warnings for - Border Riots, Suspicious Character Sightings, and The Golden State's Fury!**

xXx

**Step** **17 - Popsicles and News Reports!**

After their video game was over and done with, Alfred and Matthew were now sitting back on the comfortable black couch and drowsily watching the news channel. Arthur had claimed it was his turn before they could put something else on that he might find obnoxious and had decided on the news, since that was usually a neutral choice.

Matthew sighed out of bordom, and then looked over at his brother, who was watching the TV as if he _were_ a zombie. "Al, go get some more popsicles." The Canadian said as he reached over and poked his twin in the cheek gently with his finger. Alfred slid his azure eyes over to his brother and then gave him a lazy grin. "No can do, bro." He replied as he flopped onto Matthew's lap and closed his eyes. "My foot hurts _way_ too much." He lied as he got comfortable.

Matthew rolled his eyes at the lazy American as he inwardly smirked, while trying to control his hands from finding their way into his brother's hair. "Stop using that as an excuse, I went the last four times… it's _your_ turn, Alfie." Alfred slowly opened his eyes and stared up at his twin, sleepily. He then held out a fist, without saying a word. Matthew gave him a light smile in return and mimicked him. "On three, eh?" Alfred nodded. "On three. One." "Two." Matthew continued. "Three." They both said in unison and displayed their hand signs.

"Uhh…" Alfred grimaced as Matthew covered his hand with the paper sign. "I win, now get your lazy butt off the couch and get me a popsicle." Matthew commanded quietly as he gave his brother another smirk. Alfred groaned as he sat back up. _'Why do I always pick rock…?' _He whined inside his head as he stood back up on his feet and began to trudge to the kitchen.

_'Now I remember why I always pick paper.' _Matthew mused as he listened to his brother's over exaggerated verbal woes about walking on his sore foot. _'You're such a baby, Alfie.' _He laughed to himself softly as he waited.

Alfred plopped back onto the couch and handed his brother a popsicle after he had broken it away from his own and unwrapped it. "That's the last of them, the box is empty now." He informed as he popped the icy treat into his mouth.

"You two finished off that _entire_ box of popsicles?!" Arthur exclaimed in disbelief. The pile of riddled sticks caught his attention on the coffee table, as if to answer his question. "What? Did you want one, Artie?" Alfred asked, after he had pulled his own popsicle out of his mouth. "_No_, I just don't think either of you understand moderation." Arthur replied with a frown. "What's that?" Alfred asked with a sly grin. That earned him an eye roll from the Brit.

Matthew frowned as he unwrapped yet another cherry popsicle. That was the 4th one in a row. He looked over to Alfred and pouted. "How come you keep getting all of the blue raspberry, Al?" The American looked over at his twin and noticed his unhappy expression. He then held his popsicle out to Matthew with a light chuckle. "Here, Mattie. You want to trade?" He asked with a bright smile. The Canadian instantly flushed and looked away, embarrassed. "But you already licked all over that one..." He protested, awkwardly. "So?" Alfred replied as he reached over and took Matthew's popsicle right out of his hand while he wasn't paying attention. "Hey!" His twin cried out in surprise as he snapped his head back to face his brother. Alfred ignored him as he held the cherry popsicle up to his mouth and carefully licked it from bottom to top. He then held out the blue raspberry to his brother, again. "There, now I've licked both of them, so just take the one you want, Mattie. I know this is your favorite flavor."

Alfred watched in amusement as Matthew reached over and silently accepted the blue popsicle. The Canadian's face was bright red now. Alfred loved getting this reaction from his brother, sometimes it was just too easy. Amused, Alfred popped the cherry popsicle into his mouth and turned back to watch the TV, innocently.

_'Maple… he did that on purpose!' _Matthew whined inside his head as he finally turned away from his brother and looked to the TV as well, trying to distract himself.

_'Does that wanker even think before he does things?' _Arthur wondered as he stared at the American with a slight blush on his face, also.

Matthew finally stared down at his new popsicle, thoughtfully. _'Why was I being so shy? It's not like the thought of kissing Al, bothers me… This is almost like an indirect kiss. Though, I doubt Alfie see's it that way…' _He mused to himself as he covertly glanced over at his brother again. The American seemed blissfully unaware of the new tension he had just caused as he enjoyed his new cherry popsicle.

**-(VC)-**

"The east side had some pretty turbulent weather yesterday, we hope everyone took the proper precautions." The same pretty amber haired, perky newswoman said as she stood in front of a large weather map and pointed. "Luckily there have been no reports of injuries due to this tropical depression, and only minor reports of damage."

"That _is_ lucky, Sonya. I hope everyone stayed out of that bad weather." The overly confident newsman said as he popped onto the screen with his white toothy smile. "Remember our story from a few days ago, about the Kansas woman, who's house was lifted from it's foundations by a tornado and set into a large tree? Well, like the saying goes "When the boughs break." A picture appeared on the screen, showing a destroyed house amongst some broken limbs at the base of a large tree. "The woman is now suing the state for negligence, after breaking her arm in the fall. She is also suing for Property Damage to her house and belongings."

"Hey Artie, how come you never built _us_ a tree house?" Alfred asked with a pout as he continued to watch the TV. "What part of this story actually makes you think, that a tree house is a safe idea?" Arthur frowned as he looked at the wreckage of the woman's house. Alfred shrugged then grinned over at the Englishman. "I dunno, but I'm sure if you _had_ built us a tree house, it would have been safe." "Well-" Arthur started as his cheeks tinted a rosy color. "Perhaps I was thinking about your safety by _not_ actually building one." "I can believe that." Alfred chuckled and turned back to watch the screen. "After all, you didn't even want us _climbing_ trees." _'We still did though.' _Matthew thought to himself as he smirked over at his brother. He was obviously thinking the same thing, his sly smile gave it away, easily.

"That sure is a shame." Sonya said as she appeared again, now sitting behind a studio desk. "Our best wishes go out to that woman and her new legal battles." The screen behind the woman changed and a title cover called "The Border Party Story" spelled out in bright red letters on a white background came on. "I'm sure you have all been watching this story closely. But just in case you haven't kept up. There was a massive border party that occurred almost two weeks ago, between the US and Canada Border, resulting in the misplacement of 14 US Citizens and 8 Canadian Citizens."

"Hey Al, give me back my people, eh?" Matthew demanded with a hint of humor. "You got _4_ more then me this time." Alfred whined as he chewed on his popsicle stick. Arthur turned to look at the twins and frowned. "Has this happened before?" They both turned and gave him a blank expression. "Mmmaybe." They said in unison.

"Yesterday at around 10pm Pacific Time, another such incident happened at the US and Mexico Border in California." Sonya informed with a bright smile as she gestured to a monitor beside her. "Officials say the party escalated into a full scale riot, complete with car tipping and illegal fireworks. Here is a video taken by a university student who happened to be there to witness the event." The TV went black, then a shaky video came onto the screen.

"O-M-G Casey. Isn't that your car?!" A girl's voice asked from the background. The picture panned to the side just in time to catch a purple scion being flipped over onto it's side by a tall and handsome, rugged looking young man with blonde hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Maple…" Matthew said under his breath as he watched the scene, now slightly embarrassed. "Mattie, tell your people to stop flipping my cars…" Alfred said as he tossed his popsicle stick onto the coffee table to join the rest of the pile.

"Hell yeah!" A female voice cheered as a girl threw her arms up in celebration for the taller Canadian man.

Alfred deadpanned as he stared at her. "Alfie, tell your people to stop being such a bad influence on my people…" Matthew smirked lightly, now that he had a way to dodge the blame.

The blonde Canadian didn't reply as he held his hand out for the energetic girl with short wheat blonde hair. She accepted it and was easily lifted onto the sideways car.

Matthew and Alfred both tilted their heads as they watched the girl rummage through a bag that had been tossed up to her by her male companion. The teens gaped when she pulled out a large, highly unstable looking firework.

"Hamburgers…" Alfred said under his breath as he watched in worry as she anchored it with her bag, then lit the fuse. The girl then leapt off of the car and was caught by the larger Canadian man. They retreated a few feet away then knelt down to the ground and covered their ears.

Alfred, Matthew, and Arthur all unconsciously flinched as the firework came to life and flew into the air where it exploded with a loud bang of colors and screams. The Canadian stood back up with the American girl on his shoulders. She held her cowboy style hat with one hand as she tilted her head back and beamed with excitement up at the lightshow from her new level of height. The larger man remained relatively emotionless as the bright lights reflected off his dark shades. If one were to look a bit closer however, they might've noticed the light blush on his cheeks.

"The riot didn't last long, as the California Law Enforcement along with the Border Patrol came and put a quick end to this incident." Sonya said as the screen changed again and a police helicopter was shown flying over the large group of people. A young man with tan skin and long, very light brown, almost amber colored hair, that was tied back in a ponytail, hung out of the helicopter with a megaphone. He was angrily shouting at the crowd with a light Chinese accent.

"Isn't that?" Matthew started as he recognized the probable teenager in the California Police uniform. "Yep." Alfred replied as he popped the "P" He didn't need to hear the rest of the question. "He's going to be ranting about this for next six months…" Alfred sighed, he could already feel the headache forming.

The young man in the helicopter turned his attention to the duo who set off the most recent firework and pointed angrily at them as he started a new stream of shouts with his megaphone. The larger Canadian man turned to look up at him, then raised his hand and flipped him off, uncaringly. You could almost see the snap of tensions as the younger man's temper exploded as he tossed the megaphone and attempted the leap from the hovering helicopter. He was caught just in time and held back as he struggled and shouted furiously. The American girl laughed loudly as she watched. She then wrapped her arms around the Canadian's neck and set her chin on the top of his head.

"It is likely that _this_ Border Party was hampered by the high wall that separates both sides at the border of the US and Mexico. Back to you Bob." Sonya said as she flipped her amber hair to the side and smile brightly.

"Thank you, Sonya. On a lighter note. The eight Canadians that went missing from the US - Canada border party were all recovered yesterday, and are now on their way back home. Though none of them resembled the teenager involved in the zoo theft almost a week ago. That case is still ongoing." Bob said as he tapped his papers on the table surface. "Our top story, after these messages."

"I wonder if those two will ever see each other again…" Matthew said quietly with a frown as he leaned back into the couch. "Sure they will." Alfred reassured as he flopped back onto Matthew's lap, lazily and yawned. "How do you know?" Matthew asked, doubtfully as he stared down at his twin. "Just do." The American replied simply as he closed his eyes and waited for the commercials to be over.

_'Why do so many odd things happen in North America…?' _Arthur wondered, disapprovingly as he zoned out the commercials and waited as well.

Alfred finally opened his eyes and turned his head to see the TV again, once the new story started. Not that he really cared that much. It was just something to do, though he _was_ getting rather tired again.

"Our top story today, comes straight from our Silver State. A month ago, a young man from Nevada bought out a failing burger joint, he then turned it around in just two weeks! Now, with a brand new name and a brand new menu, the restaurant is finally turning a profit again." The screen changed from the newsman and a scene of a small bustling diner style restaurant came into view. Large black letters were painted on the side of the building, the white background making them stand out boldly. "Veggie Burger" and right underneath it, in smaller red letters it said _"Love Yourself!" _"This restaurant has a completely vegan style menu." The newsman informed while the scene continued to play in the background. "The owner says, he hopes he can promote healthier eating habits and a newfound love for yourself in the process." Bob said confidently with one of his fake newsperson laughs.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Alfred said as he turned his gaze back to the ceiling and covered his face with his arm in discomfort.

**xXx**

**WMD: I like totally ship 2p!Canada and 1p!Nyo!America now! XD**

**It was just a random idea, but now I really like it. lol**

**And yes that indeed was my version of California. (The boy in the helicopter with the hair-trigger temper) He'll be appearing in one of my new stories, once I get past this story and find some time. If this version seems similar to anyone else's version, I'm sorry. I was mainly focusing on stereotypes, history, and my own personal headcannon for personality traits. **

**Sorry this chapter was so short, I'm trying to wind down the story.**

**Only 3 more chapters left~**

**I love reviews! **


	18. Step 18 - Early Bedtime

**Hoofdstuk Achttien**

-Chapter Eighteen-

**(Dutch)**

**Yay~ My stats are fixed! Thx FF**

**I apologize for the late update.**

**So here you go! A brand new chapter :)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**Warnings for - England's Canadian Removal Plan - and - An Unintentional German Accomplice**

xXx

**Step 18 - Early Bedtime**

The news channel had long since been changed, and now there was a quiet drama playing again. Arthur sighed out of bordom. Was there really nothing else to do? At least they weren't worrying where Alfred was right now. The Englishman turned his sight from the TV and looked over at the twins. Alfred had quickly fallen asleep after the last news report and was now resting his head comfortably in his brother's lap. Matthew, on the other hand was still awake. The Canadian was completely ignoring the movie as he smoothed down his sleeping twin's wheat blonde hair, with a most loving expression. Arthur frowned and turned back to the TV. _'Well at least Matthew looks like he feels a bit better… But still…'_

_'I know what the frog said, and he probably has a point, but… this still isn't over…' _Arthur sulked inside his head as he zoned out the movie and went into his own thoughts. _'There must be something I can do… Where the hell did Francis go?!' _He glared over at the door as the latest distracting thought disrupted his scheming. _'Maybe I can get Matthew to go home somehow… But he's still sick… Perhaps I can send him off with the stupid frog… Where is he?!'_ Arthur grit his teeth and glanced out the window. Francis had gone out that morning and hadn't come back yet. It was almost 6pm now. _'For your sake, you had better of gone back to Europe, you wine bastard…' _Arthur fumed as he turned his attention back to the twins. That only seemed to ruffle his proverbial feathers even more.

The front door suddenly swung open and Francis stepped inside the house with his usual air of confidence. He was of course greeted by an angry British accent. "Where the bloody hell _were_ you?!" Arthur snapped as he stood up from the couch, quickly. That sudden outburst startled both Matthew and the now awoken Alfred. Francis looked over to the smaller island nation and gave him, his usual smirk. "Did you miss me, mon lapin?"

"You were gone for almost 7 whole hours!" Arthur hissed as he stalked over to the unperturbed Frenchman. "And, I am NOT your rabbit!" "Aw? Do you know French now, mon amour?" Francis grinned as he observed the Englishman's blushing face. "Shut up you foppish twit! Now explain yourself!" Arthur shouted as he reached out and grabbed a handful of Francis' fancy dress shirt. Francis held his hands up in surrender but kept grinning down at the irate blonde man. "But Angleterre, you _just_ told me to shut up."

Alfred and Matthew both looked over the couch at the two Europeans, tiredly. The American then turned back around and let out a big yawn as he leaned back into the couch again. Matthew looked back to his twin and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Hey Al, let's leave them alone and go take a nap in your room." The Canadian suggested as the yelling behind them escalated. Alfred said nothing as he dragged himself to his feet, then turned to his brother and held out his hand, silently. Matthew just barely suppressed a blush as he accepted the kind gesture. He also felt slightly embarrassed by his bold suggestion. However, his brother's quick acceptance brought a smile to his face.

They both made their way past the now physical dispute between their ex-father figures. Alfred allowed himself to be supported under his arm as he limped out of the living room, beside his brother. _'Alfie must really be feeling bad right now, he usually doesn't like it when people help him like this…' _Matthew frowned as he gave his brother a side glance. Alfred looked like he was only half awake and he was being uncharacteristically quiet.

When they stepped into Alfred's bedroom, Matthew noticed his elusive polar bear companion, sound asleep in the middle of the bed. Hero was sleeping right beside him, curled into the small white bear. _'I wonder what Mr. Kumacookie has been doing all day? I haven't seen him around much lately…' _Matthew thought as he quietly shut the bedroom door. He then helped his brother to his bed.

Kumajiro lifted his furry head and glared at Alfred for being so rudely awoken, when the American had carelessly plopped down onto the bed. The small bear then directed his attention to the fluffy Ragamuffin beside him, With one fluid motion, he smoothly pushed the heavy cat away. Hero rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, before he rebounded and curled back into the warm polar bear. Kumajiro huffed in annoyance as the fluffy cat started his obnoxious purring.

Matthew walked over to the window, he then reached over and pulled the heavy curtains to block out the late afternoon sunlight. "Hey Al, if you're that tired, we should just go to sleep early. I'm getting tired too." The Canadian frowned when he received no answer.

After walking back over to his brother, he discovered that the American had actually fallen asleep again. He was hunched over with his head drooped. _'I still don't get how he can just fall asleep, sitting up like that.'_ Matthew inwardly laughed as he took a moment to just watch his twin.

_'At least he doesn't have a fever anymore.' _Matthew thought in relief as he pulled his hand away from his brother's forehead. _'It's probably the antibiotics that are making him feel sick. Alfie has always had a problem with medicine, still…it's necessary.'_

The Canadian bent over and took hold of the bottom of his brother's shirt. He lifted it half way, then halted his actions as a blush appeared on his face. _'Maybe this is one of the things that Arthur meant, when he said 'unacceptable.' _Matthew bit his bottom lip nervously, then continued. _'But I've done this so many times, it just comes naturally.' _He thought as he carefully maneuvered Alfred out of his shirt and set it aside.

The teen took a quick peek underneath the bandage on his twin's shoulder and smiled when he found that it was almost already healed. _'His foot will probably be feeling much better by tomorrow.' _Matthew thought as he lifted his hand to inspect his own injury. He pressed a finger to his wrapped palm and applied a small amount of pressure. It hurt, but not nearly as much as it had before. The teen smiled lightly at this. Matthew turned his eyes back to his brother, he was still sound asleep and was now leaning to the side, as if threatening to fall over. _'That would make a perfect picture.' _Matthew whisper-laughed as he took this opportunity to lightly joke at his brother's expense. He then gave him another sympathetic smile. _'Let's get you into bed, eh?' _

Matthew walked over and pulled the comforter back on the bed, then gently laid his brother down on the sheets. Without much thought, the Canadian reached over and casually undid the button on his twin's jeans. He froze again as another thought hit him. _'Is this really unacceptable? I've never really thought about it before…' _He frowned. _'I can't believe I'm letting what Arthur said get to me. So what if this isn't normal behavior for brothers. I love Alfie so much more then that. So why should I even care what Arthur thinks…?' _The teen sulked as he fiddled with his brother's pants zipper. _'No, I don't care. I won't let him change things, just because he doesn't approve.' _He said with finality inside his head and slowly slid the zipper down.

Matthew carefully tugged the jeans off of his sleeping brother and put them aside with his shirt, on the floor. He then drew the comforter over the American. _'Huh, this feels a bit like deja' vu…' _He thought as he gently took the glasses from Alfred's face and set them on the nightstand beside the bed.

A few minutes later, Matthew, now in his boxers as well, quietly slid underneath the comforter on the right side of the bed. After taking his own glasses off, he turned his head to the side to stare at Alfred. The American was breathing steadily. He looked very peaceful right now. Matthew let out a soft sigh. He knew that when Alfred got over his cold, he wouldn't be as passive as he is now. He would start masking his feelings again, and it would become that much more difficult to get him to admit to anything. Sure, Alfred always lets his guard down around _him_, but when he's around anyone else, especially at the World Conference meetings, it's like he really _is_ wearing a mask.

Matthew studied his brother's soft expression as he slept. _'They really don't see what I see…' _The Canadian frowned ever so slightly as he thought of something. '_I bet Arthur see's it too. He has known Alfie for a long time, after all.' _Matthew turned to look back at the ceiling, while keeping his frown in place. _'Arthur sure was angry last night… I wonder why he's so bothered about us being so close? It's almost like he's jealous…' _That thought didn't really come as a surprise, he had assumed for quite awhile that the Englishman had a small crush on Alfred. _'But what if it's more then that…? What if Arthur is actually in love with Alfie, too? …That would explain a lot.' _Matthew concluded as he slowly narrowed his violet eyes at the ceiling. If it were just about anything else, he would probably step aside without much argument, but not this. It might be an unfair accusation, but Matthew felt as if Arthur had been trying to pull Alfred away from him, ever since their colonial days. He held a secret resentment towards the Englishman because of that. Was it an unreasonable resentment? Possibly. But that didn't change how he felt about it.

Matthew let out another soft sigh, then turned to look back at his twin. Alfred had rolled over onto his left side again, so now his back was facing him. The Canadian smiled softly as he reached over and pulled the comforter over his twin's now bare shoulder. _'I don't care if Arthur has feelings for you as well.' _Matthew declared silently as he reached out underneath the comforter. _'I won't let him take you away from me.' _He carefully wrapped his arms around Alfred's middle and then gently pulled the American to his chest. _'Never again…'_

Matthew hugged his twin closer to himself as he got comfortable. A light smile graced his lips as he unconsciously breathed in his brother's scent. _'How could I ever let Arthur have you?' _He mused to himself.

_'I want you all to myself, Alfie…' _

**-(VC)-**

A heavy thump was heard from the living room, following by two painful moans. Francis slowly pushed himself off of Arthur and sat back on his knees while holding a hand to his forehead, with a frown. "Zat waz uncalled for, Angleterre." He whined as he stared down at his frenemy on the floor beneath him.

"Just, shut up…" Arthur muttered, as he laid on his back and brought a hand up to the painful lump forming on his forehead as well. He kept his eyes closed as he waited for the swimming feeling in his head to subside.

Francis looked down at the Englishman, and a devious grin spread across his face. Arthur's clothes were now wrinkled and messy, his shirt was raised a little past his belly button, and his hair looked extra tousled. He had his eyes closed and a hand to his forehead, just under his blonde hair. The Englishman still looked a bit flushed.

Trying to suppress his trademark laugh, Francis reached around and pulled his camera out of his pocket and focused it on the British personification.

"Arthur~" Francis called obnoxiously, gaining the attention of the other man. "What?" Arthur bit out in annoyance as he willed himself to open an eye to glare up at the Frenchman. He was met with a bright camera flash. And then another when his expression turned to surprise. And then once more, when a bright blush raged across his face. Then the 'honhonhoning' started. Arthur slowly narrowed his eyes into a venomous glare.

Francis' French perversion was met with an instant British tactical response. Arthur pulled himself from the hardwood floor, brushed himself off, and ran a hand through his messy hair. Francis on the other hand, was now on the floor, covering his vital regions. He had been, after all, in the _perfect_ position for attack.

"Serves you right, you twat." Arthur fumed as he crossed his arms, face still red. He then looked around and noticed that they were now the only ones in the room. "Where did those two wander off to now?" He asked aloud, with a frown. "Zey…went zat way…" Francis replied weakly as he lifted a shaky hand and pointed to the hallway.

**~(TS)~**

Arthur sighed after shutting the door to Alfred's bedroom. _'Looks like those two are tucked in for the night… That's good I suppose.' _He decided inside his mind, though he still didn't approve of their odd sleeping habits, however he had decided to back off for now. He didn't need to cause a rift with them, at least not directly. _'How long has it been?' _He wondered as he slowly made his way to the guest bedroom. _'Almost a week, I think.' _Arthur quietly shut the door behind him and sat down on the guest bed with a thoughtful expression. _'All of the other countries should probably be home by now. Is it just me, or have the World meetings been a bit unorganized lately? Weren't we all suppose to be in Switzerland this month? …Or was that Austria? Why was the American meeting this month? I thought that was scheduled for December… It's way too early.' _

An amused expression brightened Arthur's face as he thought of something. _'I'll bet Germany's a nervous wreck right now, trying to fix this mess. Perhaps I should give him a ring to see what's happening next month and where everyone should be. Since nobody seems to want to answer my emails anymore, then I guess, this is the next best thing.' _

Arthur took out his phone and speed dialed Germany's number, then waited patiently. Four rings more then usual slipped by until a, to say the least, frustrated Germany answered with an overly edgy voice.

"Vat iz it!?" A deep, heavily German accented voice snapped from the other end of the line. Arthur hesitated for a moment, startled. He then frowned slightly as he readied his next words. _'So I was right. Something must be wrong with the schedule.' _"Good day, Germany. I was wondering-" "Ja, ja, I know already. Und I am trying to fix it!" Germany interrupted, loudly. There was a pause, then Germany started yelling something at someone on his end that sounded like it was half in German and half in Italian, and all angry.

Arthur sighed then crossed his legs as he sat on the guest bed and waited as patiently as he could. Finally the German came back on the phone, even more disgruntled then he had been before.

"I apologise, Italy has compromised zee Vorld Conference schedule und a few osser of my charts. At zee moment I am unable to tell you vhere zee next meeting vill be held." Germany informed in a tired but agitated voice. "So this is all Italy's fault?" Arthur asked as he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Ja, zat dummkopf somehow found my schedule, zen proceed to change it for personal purposes. It's going to take me veeks to fix zis…" Germany complained, unhappily. He always held so much pride in his schedule, and now that it was ruined, he most likely was feeling quite out of control of the situation.

"So, you don't know where we are suppose to be in a few weeks? I thought we were going to Austria." Arthur said as he tried to think back on what he remembered from the last meeting. "Nein, zat's vhere vee vere _suppose_ to be. Vee vere going to Zvitzerland in a few veeks, but he said he didn't vant efferyone shtaying zere vhile vee vork out zee new schedule. Vee need efferyone togesser for zat, und it vill probably take zwei to drei veeks for it to be completed."

Arthur nodded unconsciously in understanding, though nobody could see it. "Well I don't want everyone just milling around England either, it would no doubt cause trouble." He heard Germany sigh heavily from the other end of the line. "You aren't zee only one to refuse zis proposal. I vas sinking about ashking America if he vould be villing to hold zis meeting, I know vee vere all just zere a veek ago, but he seems like zee obvious choice."

Arthur frowned again. "I'm dreadfully sorry Germany, but I'm afraid America simply wouldn't have enough time to prepare for that kind of meeting." He explained, honestly. "Vhy is zat, und how do you know?" Germany asked, slightly disappointed. "He is a bit under the weather at the moment, I've been in North America since the last meeting, keeping an eye on him."

Germany cursed quietly under his breath. There was then a short pause as papers were heard rustling from his side. "Vell…" Germany hesitated, then continued. "Zen zat leaves us vis Russia…" There was a heavy silence on both sides of the conversation. "Did you ask China?" Arthur asked in hopes that, that was indeed _not_ their last option. "Ja, he said no as vell." Germany replied. "Did you try Japan?" "He "regretfully" refused." Arthur sighed. "What about France?" "France shtrongly rejected zee proposal." Germany informed. Arthur rolled his eyes, then glared out the window. "Of course he did…"

A thought suddenly came to Arthur, causing a sly smile to tug at his lips. "Did you ask Canada?" "Who?" Germany ask, slightly confused. Arthur sighed again, irritated. "Canada. America's brother?" "He has a bruder?" Germany asked, still not convinced. Arthur's eye twitched in irritation. "Just check your address book, I'm sure he's there…"

There was another pause from Germany's end. Arthur began tapping his knee with his finger in impatience. "Now I see. So zat's Canada. I vas not avare zat, zat vas America's bruder." Germany finally replied. Arthur's face turned incredulous. "But they're twins… Never mind. Why don't you ask Canada? I'm sure he'll accept, he is a _very_ polite country after all. And it wouldn't hurt if you tell him how important it is."

"Vell, I hafn't actually tried ashking him yet, so I'll call him in a few minutes und see if vee can hold zee meeting zere." Germany agreed. "I'd suggest calling him in the morning, I'm fairly sure he'll be unavailable for the rest of the night." Arthur advised. Germany didn't bother asking how Arthur knew that and instead, simply agreed.

Arthur quietly tucked his phone away, then turned to look out the window at the darkening sky. "It's going to be a _nice_ day tomorrow." He said aloud with a light smile.

**xXx**

**WMD: But Arthur, you _just _said _America _wouldn't have time to prepare for a meeting like that, so what makes you think _Canada _would? **

**-It may seem like I dislike Arthur, but that simply isn't true. He is the _perfect_ plot tool and I adore him for that!- Besides, like I hinted in the discription, England and France might be more trouble then help. And between France's picture taking and England's meddling, I think I've proven my point. lol**

**Only 2 chapters left.**

**I think I'm going to wait until I get some feedback on this chapter before I update, besides I need to come up with a good ending and I've been feeling slightly uninspired lately. **

**Have a nice week guys! **


	19. Step 19 - Milkshakes

**19 Jang**

-Chapter Nineteen-

**(Korean)**

**This is the Last Day!**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**Warnings for - Depressed Countries, Stuttering Stalkers, and Motherly Hugs~**

xXx

**Step 19 - Milkshakes**

Francis peeked into Alfred's bedroom for the third time that morning and sighed. He really didn't want to wake them up, but Matthew's cell phone had been going off every twenty minutes, and he was getting tired of hearing that annoying ringtone.

Francis had already tried to wake the Canadian up twice already. The last time it seemed to have worked, because Matthew had actually said something, though he was unable to completely understand it, but it sounded as if he were saying that he heard him and was going to be getting up now. But alas, upon checking a third time, the teen was sound asleep yet again.

The Frenchman sighed once more and this time walked over to the Canadian. _'Mathieu, 'as never been a morning person, zo I shouldn't be zurprised.' _Francis reminded himself silently, as he stared down at his ex-colony. The teen had his arms wrapped around his brother's middle and was hiding his face in Alfred's back, from the light coming through the now opened curtains. Curiously enough, the American was also still asleep. He was usually a morning person and would have been up by now. _'Zey are still zick.' _Francis reminded himself after he put his camera away. He then reached down a put a hand on Matthew's shoulder to gently shake him awake.

"Mathieu." Francis whispered as quietly as he could, so as not to awake Alfred as well.

Matthew's consciousness finally came to the forefront again and he mumbled something incoherent as he slowly lifted his head to sleepily pout at the person disturbing him. It was Francis. "You 'ave a phone call, mon cher." Francis informed, quietly. Matthew's pout lessened into a slight frown as he translated what the Frenchman had just said to him into useful and understandable information inside his mind. "Who is it from?" The Canadian asked in a quiet voice as well. "Your little screen zays it iz from Germany." Francis informed. Matthew's eyes widened a little in surprise and he nodded in understanding. "I'll be right there." He finally agreed. Francis nodded in acceptance, then gave the other a light smile and made his way out of the room.

Matthew let out a soft yawn, then looked back to his sleeping twin. Before his body could melt back into the comfort of the other and drift off to sleep again, he urged himself to reluctantly pull away from his brother and push himself into an upright position.

Matthew stood up quietly and then reached over to take his glasses from the nightstand. He slipped them on, then stretched and yawned again. The Canadian's violet eyes were drawn back to his sleeping brother and he smiled softly. _'I wish I could wake up next to you every morning, Alfie.'_

**~(TS)~**

Alfred awoke a few minutes later when a cold chill went down his back, from the lack of the warm body that was just next to him. He bunched up the comforter in front of him and curled around it, in an attempt to get warm again and fall back into sleep. Alfred finally gave up and groggily pushed himself into an upright position. After staring blankly at the cream colored wall across the room for a moment, he released his hold on the armfull of blankets he had been hugging to himself and stretched, letting the soft material fall to his lap.

Alfred carefully slipped on his glasses and glanced at the digital clock beside his bed. It was 7:30am. He then looked over to the empty side of the bed and frowned. "Mattie woke up before _I_ did this morning." He stated the obvious, aloud in awe. "Whoa…"

The American swayed out of his bedroom, still half asleep and peered down the hallway. He could hear his brother talking softly to someone from inside the kitchen. Alfred yawned quietly then turned in the other direction and headed down the hallway to the bathroom for a shower.

Once inside the bathroom, he carefully peeled off the bandage from his left arm and was pleased to find that it had healed overnight, leaving not even a scar as usual. He could still feel the cut in his foot however, but it was only just a little sore now, and he could walk on it much easier.

Twenty minutes later, Alfred emerged from the bathroom, freshly cleaned and still damp from his shower. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and another towel in his hand as he tried to dry his hair while making his way back to his bedroom. He had made it half way, when the door to the guest bedroom swung open and a barely awake British gentleman emerged. Before he could react fast enough, Arthur bumped into the damp American. Alfred quickly reached out and caught the smaller man, he had bounced off of the teen as if he had hit a solid wall.

"Whoa! You ok, Artie? Sorry about that." Alfred apologized sincerely as he steadied the now startled Brit. Arthur looked up at him dazed, then a slow blush spread across his face when he noticed how the other looked at that moment.

Alfred watched as Arthur's face flushed even more as the Englishman's emerald eyes wandered over him. Completely misreading the atmosphere as usual, Alfred frowned in concern. "You feeling ok, Artie?" He asked as he bent over slightly and put a hand to Arthur's forehead to feel for a fever. "I hope you're not catching what we have…"

If it all possible, Arthur's face became even redder. He finally grit his teeth and swatted the teen's hand away, harshly. "I'm fine! Now go put on some clothes, you wanker!" He snapped in frustration. Alfred's eyebrows rose in surprise at the island nation's sudden outburst. He then grinned awkwardly down at the other. "That's what I was just about to do." He informed with a laugh as he walked past the Brit. He paused a few steps from his bedroom and looked back at Arthur with slight worry. "You _sure_ you're feeling alright?""Yes, I'm fine, no need to worry." Arthur reassured as he attempted to compose himself better. Alfred gave him a relieved smile and nodded, then disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.

Arthur sighed and ran a hand through his short messy blonde hair. "That was a simply smashing way to start the morning off…" He grumbled to himself, sarcastically. The Englishman looked back over to Alfred's bedroom door and a small smile appeared on his face. He was, to say the least, pleased at the amount of concern Alfred had shown for his well being, though the American still seemed to have trouble reading the situations he encountered, properly.

**~(TS)~**

After his telephone call with Germany, Matthew had decided to take a shower as well. To say he was depressed right now would be an understatement. It was nearly 8:20am and he was back in Alfred's bedroom, by himself. After getting dressed in his own, freshly washed clothes, he started packing his travel bag with his belongings. _'Why did Germany pick my place to hold this meeting?' _He whined inside his head as he zipped up his bag, after carefully checking to make sure that there wasn't a fluffy stowaway hiding inside this time. _'I'm barely going to have time to prepare for this. Why couldn't he have chosen somewhere else…?' _He inwardly cursed his politeness. He had accepted with only minimal argument once Germany had stressed how important it was. _'Those hosers don't even notice me usually, so why pick my place to hold this type of meeting? They might be there for weeks! Why didn't I have a say in this?' _Matthew released a heavy sigh of discontent. _'This going to cause a lot of trouble with so many nations gathering together for an extended amount of time. …Maple, I hope they don't break anything.' _Matthew got back to his feet and lifted his bag from the ground. He then turned to stare out the window, thoughtfully. _'This type of meeting would be perfect for Al… He's an expert at handling these types of chaotic situations.' _A frown found it's way to the Canadian's face again. _'I'm glad they didn't ask Alfie. I know he would have accepted without hesitation, and I want him to take it easy and get better, instead of worrying about this. Besides, I'll be fine. I'll just continue taking the antibiotics and I'll work through this somehow.' _With his mind decided, Matthew exited the room.

Francis had told Alfred the bad news when he joined him in the kitchen, and it only added to his depression when he saw Matthew carry his travel bag over to the door in preparation for departure.

Alfred's expression of disappointment turned sympathetic when he noticed Matthew was equally as upset about the turn of events. _'It's no good if both of us are sad… We should do something fun before he leaves.' _Alfred thought as he followed his brother, a thoughtful expression now in place.

"Hey, Mattie. Let's do something." Alfred suggested as he came up from behind Matthew. The Canadian turned around and sighed depressively. "I can't, I have to go back home as soon as possible to prepare for hosting the next meeting." He informed, making his brother's face fall slightly, but Alfred quickly recovered. "I know, Francis already told me all about it. That's why we should do one last thing before you leave." He said, now looking hopeful. Matthew let his face fall slightly at that and he sighed again as he bent down to pick up Kumajiro from the floor at his feet. "I'm really sorry, Al. But I _really_ need to get back, this is going to be a big meeting…"

Alfred's expression turned into a pout at his brother's refusal and he turned his face away. He then let his eyes wander the area around them for some kind, _any_ kind of leverage. Matthew inwardly laughed at his twin's usual response to a rejection. "I don't want to go either Al, but I have too…" He tried to reason.

The American gave his brother a less then enthusiastic reply as his eyes targeted something on the coffee table. He gave his twin a slight shrug, turned, and walked over. Alfred covertly pocketed Matthew's iPod and his own iPhone and then walked past his brother and out the front door with a sly smile. Matthew watched him go, suspiciously. _'What just happened…?' _He wondered, confused.

It wasn't really much of a gamble, Alfred knew his brother would discover what he had taken, he was always very careful at making sure he didn't forget anything, unlike himself. Not to mention, Matthew always got embarrassed when someone looked at his iPod, though Alfred wasn't quite sure why.

When he turned out of his driveway and began walking down the sidewalk to town, a glare of light hit his glasses, making him squint. The America lifted his head and stared doubtfully up at the house across the street from his. _'Billy's up early… shouldn't he be sleeping in? It is the weekend after all!' _Alfred turned his head back and proceeded to walk down the sidewalk. _'Billy needs a new hobby…'_

**-(VC)-**

"He took something. I know he did!" Matthew stressed as he looked through his stuff, though, there was _no_ way his brother could have taken anything from his bag in that time. "Mr. Kumacheez-it, did you see what he took?" The small polar bear looked up at his owner from where he sat again on the hardwood floor, and gave him a blank expression. "Who are you?" Matthew didn't reply as he fake cried and continued to look. He finally discovered what it had been when his eyes flicked over to the coffee table. His words caught in his throat as a blush spread across his face.

**~(TS)~**

Alfred was innocently viewing the autumn foliage while humming his brother's favorite song, when he felt a small tug on his black and gold hoodie sleeve. A secret smile graced his lips as he turned to see his brother standing behind him, face flushed and in full pout mode. He was slightly out of breath now as well, since it appeared he had rushed after him.

Matthew had just been about to yell at his brother for thievery, but when he heard what his twin was humming, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He felt even more embarrassed now as he timidly reached out for Alfred's sleeve to stop him. Matthew couldn't help but blush a bit more when his brother turned and gave him a soft smile. The beautiful autumn colors behind him, just made this moment in time so much more perfect. The Canadian was lost for words as he quietly stared, taking a mental picture of the gorgeous scene before him.

Alfred let out a quiet chuckle as he observed his brother's expression. "Glad you came, Mattie." He said softly as he reached over and took his brother's hand. "Let's go to Rosa's." He suggested as he tugged on Matthew's hand for him to follow. "But… I really have to go." The Canadian mumbled in protest, though his feet had already moved to follow his twin, as they started walking down the sidewalk. Matthew silently cursed himself, he already knew he had lost this argument.

"Grace has been wondering where you've been. I think it's been a little over a month now." Alfred reasoned as he built up his side of the argument. Matthew rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew his brother was playing at his empathetic polite nature. "Alright, fine." He finally relented. "But, I really have to go right after this, Alfie." Without looking at his brother, Alfred beamed. "Sure thing, bro." Matthew gave him a side glance. A moment later, he too smiled as he closed his fingers over his brother's hand. _'How can I say 'no' to that face?'_ Matthew mused as that familiar feeling tickled his stomach.

The walk to Rosa's Diner had been quiet as the twins just enjoyed each other's presence. The temperature had dropped a little overnight and the air had a slight bite to it, but it was still pleasant. Matthew really didn't want to go. It was such a nice day and he wasn't going to be able to spend it with Alfred. Instead, he'd have to head back home to prepare for a meeting. A meeting that he wasn't even warned about beforehand. _'How unfair.' _He thought, glumly.

As if he could feel his twin's heavy mood somehow, Alfred gave Matthew's had a light squeeze. "Cheer up, Mattie." Alfred said in an attempt to console the other. Matthew didn't reply, instead he only sighed. Not giving up, Alfred tried again. "If you keep looking so sad, Grace is going to give you one of her hugs again~" He teased. The Canadian's face flushed slightly and he frowned. Grace always gave the most awkward hugs, it was always quite embarrassing. With that thought in mind, Matthew tried to push his unhappy thoughts to the back of his mind. He then forced a weak smile to his lips. Alfred knew that smile was fake, but he didn't pursue the matter any further as Rosa's Diner came into view.

After entering the diner, the twins carefully made their way to a window booth and slid into the seats opposite each other. The smell of warm breakfasts and hot coffee wafted through the air. The diner was not that crowded. Small town, usual patrons. The place had a nice homey atmosphere.

A thought occurred to Matthew as he settled into his seat, making him instantly regretful. "Oh no…" Alfred tilted his head questioningly as he stared across the table at his brother. "What?" "I left Mr. Kumacola back at the house… once he finds out where we went, he's going to be really upset he didn't get to come too…" Matthew explained, now feeling rather guilty. "Oh." Alfred laughed in understanding. "Don't worry about it. You can blame it on me, and we can get him a cookie before we leave." He shrugged nonchalantly. "By the time he's done with the cookie, he'll have probably forgotten why he's upset in the first place." Matthew rolled his eyes and smirked. "He doesn't have _that _bad of a memory, Al." He argued, making his brother smirk as well, in return. "Don't underestimate the cookies they have here, Mattie." Alfred said after lifting his hands and mocking Poland's expressive hand gestures. "I like _totally_ get A.D.D. like _every time_ I eat one."

Alfred grinned as he watched his brother's mood lift from the unhappy state it had been in. Matthew couldn't fight back the laugh that started from inside him. "That explains a lot, Alfie." The American joined in with his own laugh, although the humor was at his own expense. He didn't mind doing something foolish as long as it made Matthew happier.

There was a small cough, as someone tried to get their attention. It almost went unnoticed by how quiet the sound was. Both teens stopped laughing and turned to see what had made the noise. A young, mousy looking girl stood before them with a small notepad that she was holding up to her lips, shyly. She had dark curly hair and thick glasses.

"I…uh…well…umm…" The shy waitress started her failed attempt to ask for their orders. "Use your words, Gloria!" The familiar voice of Grace called from a little ways away, as she herself waited on a family of four. The girl snapped her attention to the older waitress, startled. She then looked back to the twins quickly, and tried again. A blush was slowly creeping onto her cheeks as she stuttered. "G-g-good morning…. M-may I t-take your … u-uhm…"

Matthew and Alfred watched quietly as the young waitress failed again and tried to hide her mouth with the notepad, embarrassed. A kind sympathetic smile appeared on Matthew's face, whereas, at the exact same time, an amused grin broke out on Alfred's face.

A bright blush raged across the girl's cheeks as she accidentally dropped her notepad. She then failed to suppress an odd squeak. "Are you two mischief makers teasing our new employee?" Grace asked, tone full of humor, before either boy could say anything. She had finished with her last table and had come to the rescue of the shy girl trying to take their orders.

"No." Both twins said in unison, one with a smirk, the other with a frown. "I'll _bet_." Grace laughed. "It's nice to see you, Grace." Matthew greeted pleasantly as he gave the older woman a polite smile. Grace smiled back at Matthew, warmly and placed a hand on her hip. "And it's very nice to see you." She nodded. "I see you brought your brother with you this time, it was very odd seeing you without him, the other day." "A-actually, that was Alfie… not me." Matthew corrected with a quiet laugh. "That's ok, Grace." Alfred reassured quickly when she turned to give him a slight frown. "I wasn't really feeling myself that day, anyways."

Grace tsked and shook her head in disappointment. "Oh my. Even after two whole years, I still have trouble telling you two apart… Well that just won't do. Gloria-" Grace said as she directed her attention to the young girl, who by now was hiding behind her. "Go get these two some of our famous milkshakes. They're on the house boys." Grace added with a smile as she crossed her arms. "O-ok." Gloria said as she rushed off towards the kitchen to do what was asked of her.

"Wow, thanks Grace." Alfred beamed. "Yes, thank you. But you really didn't need to do that." Matthew said, feeling slightly caught off guard, by the random act of kindness. "Oh nonsense. Besides, the two of you are like family here." Grace waved her hand, nonchalantly. "That reminds me, I haven't seen hide or tail of either of you recently. Where've you been hiding?" "Alfie and I have both been really sick this past week." Matthew informed, honestly. "Eh, we weren't _that_ sick." Alfred argued with a shrug of his shoulders. "Besides, I still think it was an allergy." Matthew shot a glare over to his brother and pouted. "It was _not_ an allergy, Al. It was serious!" He snapped back with annoyance. "It wasn't _that_ serious." Alfred smirked, goading his brother. "You actually collapsed and lost consciousness." Matthew frowned as the mental image of that night came back to him. Alfred pouted and crossed his arms. "I don't remember it that way." "That's just because you don't remember it at all!" Matthew argued. "Do you know how scared I was, when that happened? You really worried me that night, Al…"

Alfred looked across the table at his brother's unhappy expression and a pang of guilt hit him. "Mattie, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Matthew sighed and gave his brother a light smile. "That's ok, Al.. I'm just glad you are alright." "Course I am." Alfred replied, confidently. "Because _no_ allergy can stop this Hero!" Matthew groaned and rolled his eyes at his brother's words. "Hey _Mattie_." "Mmh?" "Were you really _that_ worried about me?" Alfred asked with a brand new smirk. A blush appeared on Matthew's face and he averted his eyes, slightly embarrassed. "Of course I was you idiot." He mumbled. "Aw, I love you too, bro!" Alfred grinned, making his brother blush even brighter.

"My, my…" Grace started, an amused smile set on her lips. Both twins snapped their attention to her, Alfred was now blushing brightly as well. They had completely forgotten she was standing there. "The amount of brotherly love you two show for each other is positively _precious_. I must say, I never get tired of seeing it." She chuckled to herself. "H-here's your milkshakes…" Gloria stuttered as she returned and cautiously set the tall drinks in front of the twins. "Thanks, Gloria." Alfred said with grin, his cheeks still lightly tinted. "We appreciate this, thank you." Matthew agreed with a shy smile of his own.

"Oh, I forgot to mention." Grace said as she put an arm around Gloria's smaller shoulders. "Gloria here, is my granddaughter, and this is her very first job." She introduced, proudly. "It's nice to meet you, Gloria." Both twins said in unison. Gloria's cheeks flooded with color again as she stared back at them, timidly. "It's nice to m-meet you too…" She mumbled, softly. "Well, we'll let you two be, before your shakes melt on you." Grace said with a nod and she and Gloria departed from them with a friendly wave.

**-(VC)-**

"Hey, Gran?" Gloria asked as she peeked around the kitchen corner at the twins, like a stalker. "What is it, hun?" Grace asked, as she took some bread out of the large oven. "I forgot to ask them what their names are…" The young girl said softly and continued to watch. One of the boys beamed at the other and handed him a bottle of maple syrup from their table. Whereas, the one who received the syrup, blushed lightly and smiled. He then turned around in his seat and took the chocolate syrup from the empty table behind him and offered it to his brother. Grace came over to look at them as well then laughed quietly. "They're going to get cavities if they keep indulging their sweet toothes like that." She then leaned down, so she was closer to Gloria's ear. "The one on the left is named Alfred and the one on the right, is Matthew." Grace informed correctly. "They're really cute…" Gloria admitted as she watched both boys pour syrup into their milkshakes like little children. "Aren't they?" Grace responded, rhetorically with a smile as she returned to her work. She knew she didn't have to be concerned about her granddaughter having a crush on the twins, they were always _much_ too preoccupied with each other to ever cause any trouble like _that_, whether they realized it or not.

**~(TS)~**

"When are you two going to come back and see us again?" Grace asked as she put her hands back on her hips and gave them a warm smile. The twins had finished with their milkshakes and had gotten up in preparation to leave. "Well, I'm actually going back home today, so I'm not quite sure when I'll be back…" Matthew stated, slight disappointment written across his face. Alfred mimicked his expression, silently. "That sure is a shame." Grace frowned, she then held out her arms. "Well, in that case, give ol' Grace here a hug before you go." Matthew's eyes widened slightly and he took a step back. "T-that's o-" His refusal was cut short when Grace enveloped him in a big hug, pressing his face to her breasts. Against his better judgment, Alfred couldn't help but burst out laughing at the awkward scene before him. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, sweety." Grace said as she grabbed hold of the American and smushed him to her as well, beside his brother.

"Serves you right for laughing at me, Alfie." Matthew crossed his arms and pouted with a blush as they both left Rosa's Diner. "How is that old lady so strong?" Alfred whined, face also flushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly and trailed behind his brother.

**xXx**

**WMD: I just love Grace! XD **

**She's an OC *shrugs* but she enriches the story. **

**Sorry this chapter is so long. But the last chapter is even longer, so beware! **

**This was originally supposed to be the last chapter, ...but it became too long... much too long. lol**

**So sorry for the new modifications, I had a few people saying they couldn't see the lines.**

**Please, feel free to leave a review.**

**The last chapter will be out pretty soon~**


	20. Step 20 - Go Home

**CAPUT VIGESSIMUM**

-Chapter Twenty-

**(Latin)**

_**'Thoughts' **_**"Speech"**

**~(TS)~ = Time Skip**

**-(VC)- = View Change**

**This is the Last Chapter!**

**Sorry it's so long~**

**Let me warn you, a part of this chapter you might not understand if you have not yet read my first story, "In Search of Maple" (Although, I hope you have read it, since this is the sequel) **

**Warnings for - Emotional Rollercoasters, Alarming Multinational Nudity, Furry Dignity Savers, France being France, and The Mystery of the Sweetgum!**

xXx

**Step 20 - Go Home**

As Alfred's house came back into view, Matthew was reminded why he came after his brother in the first place. "Al, give me back my iPod, eh?" Alfred looked over his shoulder at his twin with a small frown, then a sly smile spread across his lips. "Speaking of _iPod's_, Mattie…" Matthew's face turned back into an instant pout and he looked away as he crossed his arms. "Don't start with this again… I _said_ I was sorry." The Canadian grumbled quietly. "Besides, it was just an accident…" "You dropped it into the pancake batter!" Alfred interjected. "On _accident_!" Matthew whisper-shouted back in annoyance.

"So…" Alfred began with a doubtful expression. "When are you going to buy me a new one?" Matthew sighed as he uncrossed his arms, letting himself calm down a bit. "Christmas is coming up in a few months…" It was now Alfred's turn to pout. "But it's suppose to be a replacement, not a gift. I don't wanna wait till Christmas!" "That's real mature, Alfie." Matthew said as he rolled his eyes. "It's not _that_ much longer till Christmas, you can go a few months without an iPod."

Alfred went silent for a moment until a thought hit him, making him smile mischievously. "Oh yeh?" The American started as he reached into his hoodie pocket and retrieved his brother's iPod. "Let's see if _you_ can wait until Christmas…" He challenged after he flashed the device for his brother to see.

The Canadian stopped walking and stared at his twin's back in horror, as the many possible _accidents_ that could befall his beloved iPod flooded into his mind in the form of disturbing images. He knew he had just said that _Alfred_ could wait until Christmas for a new iPod, but he himself didn't want to! Matthew cursed himself silently for being such a hypocrite.

"Alfie!" Matthew called as he rushed to catch up with his brother. "Wait!" Without having to look around, Alfred smirked to himself as he quickened his pace into almost a jog. He was getting the reaction he wanted. "I think Artie might be making some more soup~ It would be _too bad _if something were to happen!" He teased. "Don't you dare!" Matthew gasped as he broke out into a run to stop the American before he could carry out his dastardly deed. Alfred laughed loudly as he to broke out into a run, ignoring the pain in his foot.

The twins raced towards Alfred's house as fast as they could, one laughing obnoxiously, while the other was whisper-shouting threats of repercussions. Alfred cut through his own front yard and ran in a beeline towards the sole tree on his lawn, Matthew close behind. He tried an artful evasion tactic as he rounded the tree in an attempt to shake his brother, though that never seemed to work on Matthew, since he was just, if not more agile then he himself was.

"Ok! Fine." Matthew cried, as he grabbed hold of the back of his brother's hoodie. "I'll buy you a replacement! Just don't break mine…" The American finally stopped running. He then turned around and gave his brother a smirk. "When?" Matthew gave him a small glare as he reached to grabbed his iPod from the other's hand. "I don't know, as soon as I can." Alfred quickly held the iPod just out of his brother's reach, behind him, tauntingly. "_Promise_?"

Frustrated, Matthew huffed and leaned against his twin in an attempt to reclaim his stolen iPod. "Yes, I promise! Now just gi-" His demand was cut short, when Alfred, trying to rebalance himself from the extra weight of his brother, took a step back, in doing so, slipped when a small round object rolled underneath his shoe. Both teens let out a startled cry as they fell. Matthew landed heavily on top of Alfred, and by sheer accident, the Canadian's lips crashed onto the American's.

There was a moment of silence as they both froze, shocked by what had happened. The frustrations that Matthew had been feeling just seconds ago had vanished completely, being replaced with something else. Like a spark. Color rose into their cheeks as violet eyes met azure. The Canadian's thoughts of reason and logic were pushed to the back of his mind as he closed his fingers around the fabric on the front of his brother's hoodie. He then, ever so slowly leaned closer if at all possible and against all better judgment, allowed his lips to move gently over his twin's.

_'Please don't freak out.' _Matthew silently begged, as he closed his eyes. He knew he was laying himself bare for a heartbreaking rejection. But he simply had to try. He couldn't let an opportunity like this slip by without doing anything at all. To his surprise, he felt Alfred's lips turn upwards ever so slightly into a small smile before he began to mimic his brother's actions. Matthew's heart skipped a beat when he realized what was happening.

Alfred slowly brought his right hand up and rested it on Matthew's lower back. He then carefully closed his left hand over his brother's right. Matthew could hardly believe this was happening, but he wasn't about to question his luck, as he let his body melt against his brother's.

They continued like that for a few more seconds, and just when they had both parted their lips to deepen this long awaited kiss, there was a clicking noise from somewhere nearby, followed by a distinctive 'honhonhoning'.

Francis watched with great amusement as the twins froze instantly then quickly pulled away from each other, Matthew going so far as to pushed himself back onto his knees. The Canadian looked beyond embarrassed. Their faces were beet red as they spotted Francis a few feet away. The Frenchman casually slipped his camera back into his pocket and smiled deviously back at them. "Zo zis iz where you boze ran off too, we were wondering where you went." He said in an obvious attempt to control his laughter. "You realize-" He started again, his face now showing his signature French smirk. "Most people 'ave zimpler ways of zaying farewell to eachozzer. 'owever-" He paused. "I know 'ow much you North Americans like to be different from ze rest of ze world, and I for one, fully support zis meszod."

Matthew stared back at the Frenchman, with a complete loss for words, whereas Alfred slowly narrowed his eyes as Francis began his annoying laughter at their expense. "Seriously, dude?" The American frowned. "You really have _nothing_ better to do?" He asked incredulously, as he slowly pushed himself back into a sitting position. "Ah!" He hissed as a pain stabbed him in the back. Matthew unconsciously flinched in sympathy, though he was unaware of what was hurt.

Francis, not noticing, replied smugly. "Oui, I did 'ave zomesing I waz doing, but I 'ave to zay, zis definitely took priority."

"What's wrong, Alfie?" Matthew asked with concern as he carefully climbed off of his brother and sat back on his knees in the grass in front of Alfred. Needless to say, he was afraid he might have hurt his brother, when he had fallen on top of him. The worry that was written across his face was replaced with confusion as Alfred silently reached behind him and cautiously retrieved a small spiky ball, around the size of a large marble. "I'm fine, I just landed on this." He grimaced as he held it out by it's stem. Matthew looked at the small ball, curiously. His eyes widened with recognition and he tilted his head upwards. Green star-shaped leaves, just on the verge of turning orange for autumn, waved above them lazily. "It's a Sweetgum tree." Matthew stated quietly, as a soft smile graced his lips. Alfred looked up as well. He had really never bothered to notice what kind of tree it was. The American let his azure eyes travel back down to his brother. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he reached over and removed an orange star-shaped leaf from his twin's wavy honey blonde hair.

Matthew dropped his gaze from the tree and looked back over at Alfred. The American smiled and held out the leaf to his brother. "Sweetgum, huh? I like it, the leaves look just like stars." He chuckled softly. Matthew felt his cheeks heat up again as he accepted the leaf.

Another clicking sound was heard from a little ways away. Matthew sighed and looked down, trying to hide his face. Whereas, Alfred turned to frown at the Frenchman. They had once again, completely forgotten he was there. "That's it, dude!" Alfred snapped as he got back onto his feet. "Hand over the camera." He demanded. Francis simply smiled back as he clicked another picture, this time of Alfred's unamused expression. "But you are zo photogenic." He argued, tauntingly. The uncharacteristically dangerous vibes coming from the American, gave Francis pause. The Frenchman let out a nervous laugh before he decided on a tactical retreat. "Hey! Get back here!" Alfred exclaimed as he took off after him.

Matthew frowned as he watched them disappear through the front door. It took a lot to make Alfred angry like that, but he had to admit, Francis was _really_ pushing his luck with that last picture. The Canadian sighed again as he held the orange leaf up and rolled the stem in his fingers slowly, to watch it spin. "I guess Alfie really doesn't remember that one time, back when we were still colonies… That's ok." He said quietly with a smile.

_'I can't believe that just happened.'_ Matthew thought to himself as a warm feeling swelled inside of him, making him feel a tiny bit giddy. He ran his tongue over his lips and smiled. "Alfie tastes like chocolate."

Light reflected off a shiny object in the grass and drew the Canadian's eyes. Matthew reached over and collected it into his hands. "All because of an iPod, eh?" He laughed quietly as he looked at the small device.

A loud crash came from inside the house, startling the Canadian. He quickly got back onto his feet and rushed off to see what had happened. He really hoped they weren't actually fighting.

When Matthew reached the front door he had to carefully step over the coat rack that had been knocked over. He then walked past the couch that was now facing at an odd angle and headed towards the kitchen, where he found Francis and Alfred. The Frenchman was smirking as he leaned against the sink, and held his hands up in submission as the American looked as if he were frisking him. "Where's the camera? I swear I'm going to smash it when I find it!" Alfred threatened. "Zat's such a great incentive for me to tell you." Francis replied, sarcastically. "I'll give you some incentive..." Alfred glowered.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" Arthur questioned as he walked into the kitchen from the pantry, holding a cereal box. Matthew sighed in relief. He was truly thankful right now, that Arthur had the ability to stop a situation like this before it got out of hand, with only his tone of voice.

"_Nothing_…" Alfred lied as he unhanded Francis and turned around slowly to face the Englishman. Arthur frowned at the suspicious atmosphere. "Where were you two? You've been gone for more then an hour." "We just went to Rosa's Diner." Matthew explained calmly as he stepped into the kitchen, now that the hostility had past. "Well, you could have told me where you were going." Arthur replied with slight disappointment. "We would have." Alfred began as he stepped away from Francis. "But it was kind of spur of the moment, ...among other things." He finished with a quiet laugh, then directed a secret smile to his brother, making the Canadian blush yet again.

Arthur caught that subtle exchange and was now even more suspicious of what had transpired. He decided to let it go for now. Matthew would be going home in a few minutes and he had convinced Francis to accompany the teen and make sure he took his antibiotics. That took care of both of his problems at once, so he could save his complaints for later.

"Well, alright then." Arthur sighed as he set the box of cereal down on the countertop. "Did you both have breakfast there? If not, would you like some cereal?" He offered politely. He was met with an odd silence. Arthur looked over to Alfred, the American was staring at the brightly colored cereal box with horror, his mouth slightly agape. The Englishman frowned and looked over to Matthew. The Canadian had his eyes locked onto the box as well as he mimicked his twin's expression. Arthur looked over and gave Francis a questioning look, to which the taller man simply shrugged. "What?" Arthur finally asked in bewilderment.

As if to answer his question, loud sirens started sounding throughout the house, as the lights dimmed being replaced with a bright flashing red light. "D-did you actually pull the box off of the wall, Arthur?!" Matthew asked semi-loudly as he covered his ears. "What do you mean? What's going on?" The Englishman demanded, nervously. Arthur jumped in surprise as the kitchen door swung shut, which was in fact, _very_ surprising since the kitchen didn't actually _have_ a door. There was a hiss and a clicking sound as the door locked itself. "What did you do zis time, Arthur?" Francis accused as he too held his ears, worry now showing on his face.

A second later, metal plated shutters swung down and disconnected the kitchen from the living room. "Dude, Artie. I think you broke something!" Alfred shouted over the sirens, as he backed away from the counter. He then noticed the ajar pantry door behind Arthur. Without a second thought, he rushed over and slammed the pantry door shut and pressed his back to it as if he were trying to keep something in. Francis and Arthur turned to look at him, confused.

A clicking and grinding sound started from above them, making all the countries tilt their heads up just in time to see a hidden sprinkler system appear overhead inside the kitchen.

"Oh hamburgers…" Alfred paled. "What the hell are you doing?" Arthur asked as he watched the American quickly lift his black and gold hoodie from the bottom and pull it off. The teen didn't bother answering as he wadded it up, then stuffed it into the refrigerator. Just as he slammed the refrigerator door shut, the sirens went silent and the lights stopped blinking.

The European's let out a premature sigh of relief, just before the sprinklers overhead activated, drenching everyone. "Fantastic…" Arthur grouched as he wiped some wet hair off of his forehead. Matthew groaned quietly to himself, he had been in the process of taking his shirt off as well, but he hadn't reacted quickly enough. Now all of his clothes were soaked with the clear purple liquid again.

"Why does your water zmell like bananas…?" Francis asked, feeling slightly repulsed, after the sprinklers finally stopped. "It's not water…" Alfred sighed as he ran a hand down his bare chest, wiping some of the liquid off. "Then what is it?" Arthur asked, feeling rather disgusted now. The smell of bananas was becoming stronger.

"Hell if I know." Alfred replied, as an odd hissing noise started up and their clothes began to look as if they were steaming. Arthur quirked an eyebrow as Alfred brushed past him and quickly made his way over to his brother. The Canadian gave his twin a thankful expression and move behind him, just as the fabric of his shirt began to dissolve into the air.

"Ooh. Evaporation. This is new." Alfred commented as he watched the European's clothing disappear from their bodies. From a scientific view point, this was highly interesting. "It's _not_ new…" Matthew whined, not finding this fun at all.

Just before he was completely exposed, Arthur roughly pulled Francis in front of him by his wrist, using him as a fancy French shield to hide his dignity.

An entire minute of silence past, once the last scraps of clothing had vanished into the air. To say that it was an awkward silence would be a vast understatement. Both Francis and Arthur appeared shocked by what had just happened. The North American brothers, on the other hand, merely looked vaguely annoyed.

Alfred stood over by the door, his arms crossed and a small frown in place. He was already calculating in his head, how many pairs of jeans he had left. Matthew, however, although he was uncomfortable with the current situation, was having a particularly difficult time, trying to not let his eyes wander over his brother as he stood behind him. Which was silly, because he already _knew_ what Alfred looked like, but it was still a very strong impulse. Instead he looked over Alfred's shoulder to their ex-father figures. The Canadian averted his eyes, instantly regretting his decision, though it _did_ put a stop to any problem he might have been having.

Arthur released a heavy sigh while he glared at Francis' back. "What just happened?" He asked weakly. Was it really too much to ask, to have a normal day? Could they _really_ not have gone the last fifteen minutes without incident? _'Why do so many odd things happen in North America?!' _He ranted inside his head.

"Don't ask me." Francis replied, once he had gotten over his initial shock. He then started his annoying laughter as he stared over at the two naked countries in front of him. Francis, unsurprisingly, seemed to be the only country completely ok with this bizarre turn of events, as he stood there, proudly baring all.

"Dude, quit checking me out! It's creepy." Alfred whined, though he didn't bother covering himself. He really didn't have a problem with the nudity, he just didn't want to be ogled by a perverted Frenchman. "Ah, but you are zuch a work of art, I just can't 'elp myself." Francis grinned as he continued to stare. He then reached into one of the overhead cabinets and retrieved his camera, that he had stashed away. Alfred's eyes widened when he saw it. "Don't you dare…" He warned with forced calm as he stayed where he was, in order to protect his brother's dignity. "'ow does zat saying go? "Take a picture, it will last longer?" Francis taunted as he lifted the camera to his face.

Hearing that, Matthew whipped his head to look over his brother's shoulder at Francis. "Don't do it, Papa!" He gasped. The Frenchman ignored them as he continued his 'honhonhoning' while he focused his camera. Alfred grit his teeth, finally deciding to take action. "No, wait!" Matthew whisper-shouted as his brother began to move away from him and towards the Frenchman. In his panic he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Alfred's bare chest and pulled him back just when the camera snapped a shot.

Francis smirked as he looked down to check the picture he had just taken. The Canadian had wrapped his arms around his brother's chest as he hid his face from the camera, behind his brother's back. The American looked startled and had his arms out in front of him as he leaned back into his twin. The lower half of the picture, however was distorted by a grey blob. Francis frowned and lowered his camera. He was met with large red eyes staring up at him, making him jump slightly in alarm.

"Oh, hey Tony." Alfred greeted when he spotted his alien friend. Tony turned to look at him and nodded in greeting. "We need to have a _serious_ discussion about your security system, man." Alfred frowned. "Bitchy." Tony replied as he held out a device and pointed it at the ceiling. He clicked a button and the kitchen door unlocked, then swung open and disappeared. After that the metal plated shutters opened as well. Tony then walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed the brightly colored cereal box. Arthur peeked around Francis to glare daggers at the alien. This was all _his_ fault after all. Tony turned and made eye contact with the Brit. There was a moment of tense silence as they both stared at eachother, like the bitter enemies that they were. "Fucking Limey" Tony finally said as he took his cereal box/secret door lever and departed into the pantry from where he had come. "Bloody alien..." Arthur growled with contempt.

Kumajiro, who had been waiting patently outside in the hallway, padded into the kitchen and sat down in front of his favorite person. "I'm hungry." He said as he stared up at the twins with a blank expression. Their nudity didn't seem to faze him in the least. "Ah, Mr. Kumakool-aid!" Matthew breathed in relief. He then released his hold on his brother, then bent down and quickly gathered up his beloved polar bear companion into his arms. Once his vital regions were hidden from view by his furry friend, Matthew backed himself out of the kitchen.

"I call the shower…" Matthew mumbled, quietly. Alfred turned to look at him, then grinned when he saw the awkward scene. "Sure thing, bro." The Canadian blushed brightly, as he failed to avert his eyes this time. Instead, he couldn't stop staring. The American frowned and lifted an eyebrow questioningly at his brother. He then smirked. "See something you like, Mattie?" He teased. "Uhh..." Matthew couldn't think of a way to reply to that without blunt honesty, so he simply bit down on his bottom lip to silence himself, then disappeared down the hall to the bathroom.

Matthew could hear Francis' annoying laughter as he left, along with Arthur's demanding voice saying- "Don't use up all of the hot water!" To which he heard Francis reply with a- "I don't sink you 'ave to worry about zat." Matthew ducked his head in embarrassment. It was the truth and he knew it. He needed a cold shower.

**-(VC)-**

"I call dibs on the other shower." Alfred declared. "Oh no you don't…" Arthur grumbled as he also backed out of the kitchen, covering his vital regions was an oblivious fluffy Ragamuffin. Hero was finally redeeming his worth to the Englishman as his super fluffyness protected the Brit's dignity. The cat purred with delight at the attention he was receiving.

Francis couldn't pass up this opportunity as he lifted his camera and snapped a shot at Arthur and Hero. The Englishman sighed with forced calm, he then glared up at the Frenchman, while he kept his gaze high. "After I take a shower, ...I am going to break you." He vowed. "And I'm going to break your camera." Alfred added with a frown as he crossed his arms again.

Francis simply shrugged them off, arrogantly. He then frowned as he thought of something. "What are _we_ zupposed to do while you two take a nice shower? Ferment in zis zmelly liquid?" He asked with a hint of irritation. "I don't care what you do!" Arthur snapped as he backed out of the kitchen and down the other hallway. "There is a hose in the backyard. Use that!" He suggested loudly before they heard the bathroom door slam shut.

Francis and Alfred gave each other a doubtful look. The American sighed, then walked over to the sink next to the Frenchman and took some spare soap from the cabinet. "I'll wash your back if you wash mine." He offered as he made his way to the backdoor. "Oui, zat zounds fair." Francis agreed and followed him, a devious smirk on his face.

**~(TS)~**

Once everyone was clean and dressed again, they had all gathered out in Alfred's driveway. Since Matthew's car had a dead engine, they decided to take Francis' car instead. The Frenchman buckled himself into the driver's seat, glumly. He didn't know what to be more upset about. His new black eye? Or his broken camera? Although he _had_ managed to save the memory card to his camera, therefore saving all of his pictures, he still didn't like the fact that the camera was broken/crushed in the American personification's hand. He had been quite fond of that little device, now he had to buy a new one.

"Let that be a lesson to you, frog!" Arthur ranted outside his car window, emerald eyes narrowed and arms crossed. On the other side of the car, Alfred had wrapped his arms around his brother in a big hug. "Remember to take your medicine, Mattie." He reminded. Matthew smiled and embraced Alfred back, lovingly. "Don't you forget to take your's, Alfie." He laughed softly. "How could I, with Artie here?" Alfred laughed. "That's true." Matthew agreed. "Say hello to Maple for me." Alfred said as he rocked them slightly to the left. "Ok, say goodbye to Hero for me." Matthew replied as he leaned them to the right. "Stay safe, Mattie." Alfred said as he balanced them out again. "Don't get into trouble, Alfie." Matthew replied with a hint of humor. "Never." Alfred retorted, sarcastically. "Always." Matthew teased.

Arthur's eyes twitched with annoyance as he watched the twin's usual goodbye ritual. He then rolled his eyes at them and snapped. "Just get in the car! You're dawdling!" The North American brother's flinched in surprise, then pulled away from each other, bashfully.

Once Matthew was buckled into the passenger's seat, a familiar voice called out to him from the backseat. "I'm hungry!" Kumajiro whined loudly. Not only was he extra grumpy right now for being left behind when they went to Rosa's, but he hated sitting in the backseat, however he had to since his owner was safety conscious. Alfred leaned into the passenger window and smirked back at the small polar bear, over Matthew's seat. "Sorry Bear Dude, we got you a cookie, but I ate it." He taunted. It was actually a lie, they had both completely forgotten to get him a cookie altogether, but this way all the blame was on him now, which was fine, besides, he felt he needed some kind of payback for the lollipop incident. Kumajiro huffed and crossed his furry arms, then went directly into pout-mode.

Matthew sighed. "Quit teasing him, Alfie." "Sorry." Alfred apologized as he leaned back to look at his brother. "Don't work too hard, Mattie." Alfred grinned. Matthew rolled his eyes and smirked. "Don't _play_ too hard, Alfie." He teased. "That's impossible." Alfred replied as he leaned in again to give his twin one last hug. Matthew leaned in his seat to hug him back. "Hey, Mattie." Alfred whispered into his brother's ear. "Hm?" Matthew responded as he listened. "You tasted just like maple syrup." He breathed next to his twin's ear. "We should do that again, sometime." Matthew felt his cheeks flush as Alfred placed a soft kiss on his neck then pulled away and stood back with a gentle smile. Matthew returned the smile after a moment and nodded shyly in agreement.

Francis smiled at the twins, as he watched them while trying to ignore the ranting Englishman to his left. _'Why can't I get a nice zend off like zat?'_ The Frenchman turned and looked back to Arthur. The smaller country still had his arms crossed and he was indeed still ranting about something, though Francis had stopped listening around 3 minutes ago.

A mischievous smile appeared on his face, as a way to shut the Brit up came to mind. Without thinking too much about repercussions beforehand, Francis reached out of the window, and tugged Arthur down to his level by the front of his shirt. He then leaned out and impulsively kissed the startled country.

Arthur blushed deeply before he pushed himself away from his frenemy in shock. Francis smirked as he turned on the car and put it into reverse. "I'd take a ztep back, mon amour. We wouldn't want to run over your toes, now would we?" Arthur grit his teeth and took a step back in silent fury.

Francis laughed as he watched as Arthur started his verbal assault of colorful profanities at him as he backed the car up. Matthew looked amazed that Francis had actually done that, whereas Alfred stood in the driveway next to Arthur, trying his hardest to suppress a laugh. He was failing miserably. "I can't believe you just did that." The Canadian finally said, once they were driving down the road. The Frenchman simply shrugged. "It's not zee first time." He smirked.

**~(TS)~**

Matthew waited patiently as he leaned against the railing of a large bridge, while Francis got his car a pass to cross the US/Canada border. He had put on his white maple leaf hoodie to fend against the autumn chill in the air. Matthew watched the waterfall quietly, while letting his mind wander over the last week. To say the last five days were stressful would be a great understatement.

_'It was worth it.' _He smiled softly to himself as he unconsciously reached up to touch his neck. When Alfred had kissed him there a chill had rushed through his body, followed by a fluttering in his stomach. Even now, the area tingled when he touched it. Matthew hung his head slightly and laughed. _'I can't believe I'm so sensitive…' _

_'I'm going to have a really hard time focusing when I get home now…' _Matthew sighed. _'More then usual. …Thanks a lot, Al.' _A thought occurred to him then and he bit down on his bottom lip in worry. _'If something as simple as that is distracting, then how will it be a month from now? Everyone's suppose to come for an extended meeting so we can work out a new schedule, among working out various other issues, and I'm supposed to be the host country! How am I supposed to concentrate on anything when Alfie comes to stay with me, like he usually does? …Maybe I shouldn't of kissed him… I've just complicated things…'_

Matthew mentally slapped himself for thinking such a thing. _'No, there's no way I'm regretting that moment, not when I've been wanting to do that for more years then I can count. Well… I can actually count the years…'_ Matthew sighed heavily at that thought.

To distract himself, the Canadian reached into the pocket of his hoodie to retrieve his iPod. Curiously, his fingertips brushed against some coins beneath his iPod. He pulled them all from his pocket and looked down at them. Two American quarters and one Canadian penny stared back at him. Matthew's eye twitched as memories of Alfred's obnoxious teasing came back to him.

A smirk appeared on his face as he closed his hand around the coins. "I'll never be your 51st state, Alfie." Matthew grumbled out loud to nobody in particular. "Or your 52nd or your 53rd. That's just silly."

He sighed and opened his hand to look back at the coins. Alfred probably didn't leave them there to taunt him. He concluded as he focused on an old fashioned eagle quarter. _'I wonder if he remembers back before our colonial days…' _Matthew frowned as a mental image of a star-shaped leaf appeared to him. "It might be yet another thing he has forgotten…"

Matthew caught sight of Francis waving to him at the end of the bridge and he waved back in response. "Guess it's time to go." He said quietly to himself as he turned to leave. A colorful sight caught his attention and he turned back to see a rainbow being created by the waterfall. The Canadian smiled at the sight. _'I wonder if Alfie will ever remember that night we spent under the Sweetgum and Maple…'_

"The next World Conference is going to be really frustrating, …in more ways then one…"

**xXx**

**There it is, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**I want to thank everyone who took interest and read my story!**

**You guys are great! XD**

**~(WMD)~ **

**I might continue this story in Canada.**

**But only if I get enough interest.**

**So if you think I should, please let me know~**

**It's all up to you guys!**


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